Despite his claims of troop withdrawal from Ukrainian borders Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presents no evidence that would undoubtedly prove Russian troop redeployment.

In the eyes of Putin, triumphing over Ukraine appears to be a means of reasserting Russia’s control in not only Europe, but around the globe. The eventuality of this confrontation at the borders of Ukraine seems to be the doing of Putin, not Russia, and an examination of Putin’s past actions corroborates this speculation. 

After the accumulation and positioning of as many as 130,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine, many are ambivalent as to whether or not Russia will invade. The possibility of this invasion beginning at any time elicits fear on behalf of many Ukrainian citizens. 

“I have family that lives in Ukraine and they say that what is happening is scary, but they hope that the diplomatic talks will succeed and the situation will not turn into a real war. They refuse to be intimidated by Russia,” said sophomore Sasha Abramsky.

Although Moscow has repeatedly denied all claims of invading Ukraine, it has not withdrawn its troops from Ukraine’s borders, prompting many to believe that Russian authorities are preparing a false-flag operation. In transporting military equipment and medical units to the front lines, Russia appears to be making an act of aggression that may end in a large military conflict on European soil. 

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after engaging in a direct call on February 12, have not come to an agreement. Both Presidents have disclosed that there are terms and conditions that must be met before an agreement can be devised. A list of demands has been presented to the United States by Russia. Within that list, Putin bade the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, commonly referred to as NATO, to put a stop to stop its eastward expansion and reduce troop deployment in countries that joined NATO after 1997. In doing so, Europe’s security and geopolitical alignment will be compromised. 

The negotiations that Russia is endeavoring to make are speculated to not only render an invasion of Ukraine less challenging, but dismantle the already-established security protocol in Europe. Although it appears perversely counterintuitive, this particular negotiation is theorized to present more harm than good. Accordingly, the United States and NATO have rejected Russia’s demands. 

Despite the fact that negotiation does not seem as probable as many have hoped, the invasion of Ukraine isn’t a foregone conclusion. The possibility of the annexation of Ukraine, however, would be calamitous, which explains why the world is currently on edge.