Tensions heighten along Russia-Ukraine border

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Moscow needs legal guarantees that the NATO alliance would not expand eastward or deploy additional weapons near the Russian borders. It followed another stark warning on Tuesday when Putin said the deployment of NATO troops and weapons in Ukraine would mark a red line that would trigger a strong response. Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s northern border has sparked worries over a possible Russian invasion.

What’s happening? Ukraine has said as many as 90,000 Russian troops and some heavy equipment are at its border. Russia, which staged two major military exercises in the region in April and September, has insisted it has no plans to destabilize Ukraine. It accuses Ukraine and its Western backers of similar motives. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has backed a separatist insurgent group in eastern Ukraine. For its part, Ukraine has denied any efforts to reclaim the rebel regions by force. During a Thursday meeting in Stockholm, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov there would be “serious consequences” if Russia chooses to pursue confrontation.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson’s report about the mounting tensions in the region on The World and Everything in It.