WLW: Russia and the Ukraine

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.