Page 18 - Post Soviet Conflicts News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The Pentagon has announced it's sending 3,000 U. S. troops to Eastern Europe amid the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. 8,500 more are on heightened alert. The troops are headed to Germany, Poland and Romania on Ukraine's western side. Russia, to the east, is staging more than 100,000 troops near the border. Eight years ago, Russia invaded and annexed the Ukrainian state of Crimea, and some think the whole of Ukraine, which used to be part of the Soviet Union, is next.

It is clear that we must be prepared for the continued escalation of the situation on Russia’s part and for further-reaching aggression against Ukraine.

If Russia remains undeterred, the long-term damage to America’s global position, compounding the corrosive effects of the Afghan withdrawal, could be incalculable.

Becoming a NATO member in waiting on the border of Russia leaves the aspirant in a most vulnerable position, provoking Moscow without committing NATO.

The United States should use Russia’s threats to unify Western alliances, heal divisions in transatlantic and transpacific partnerships and restore bipartisanship in a national security establishment in Washington, D.C. increasingly beset by division.