WLW: Russia and the Ukraine

Political scientist Brendan Green speaks to rising tensions at the Russia/Ukraine boarder

Tensions in Eastern Europe, between Russia and the Ukraine, have all the markings of an possible Russian invasion, which has U.S. officials acting as mediator. The Ukraine is not a member of NATO, which the U.S. would be bound to defend if it were. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was formed in 1949 to provide collective security against the threat posed by the Soviet Union.

In the interview Green, an associate professor in UC's Department of Political Science,  explains the political and economic ramifications should Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, decide to invade.

“There’s a rocky road ahead and if Putin decides to launch a war then U.S./Russian relations are going to go in the toilet for a fair period of time,” UC political scientist Brendan Green told WLW in a segment devoted to the current crisis.

While neither the Ukraine, nor Russia, are members of NATO, President Biden is trying to negotiate with Putin to avoid conflict. The Ukrainian military, Green says, is outnumbered, outgunned and inferior in every way to the Russian army and could not withstand a military attack.

Listen to the interview 

Featured image of map at top courtesy of Unsplash.

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

Protecting the brain with chemistry

April 24, 2026

UC chemistry student Carter St. Clair will pursue his interest in computational chemistry through a new fellowship at the Air Force Research Laboratory. His topic: new applications in AI in human health.

3

UC expands partnership with Thales for AI research

April 22, 2026

The University of Cincinnati’s interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures welcomed its first industrial partner, Thales, at the beginning of Research + Innovation week. Thales is a global aerospace, defense and digital technology firm. Headquartered in France, it employs 83,000 people in dozens of countries, according to the Business Courier.