Crisis in Ukraine
Name:______________________________________________
Teaching with the News Online Resource
1
The Ukraine Crisis—Background
Instructions: Read the information below on the crisis in Ukraine and then fill in the boxes on “Graphic
Organizer—Charting the Crisis.” Be prepared to share your answers with the class.
What are the origins of the economies and political systems of the United
current crisis in Ukraine? States, Europe, and East Asia. Some people in these
The origins of the current crisis in Ukraine countries also see membership in the NATO mili-
stretch back to the end of the Soviet Union in tary alliance and the European Union as a means to
1991. The Soviet Union’s disintegration disrupted achieve security and prosperity. Discussion about
relations between Russia and other former Soviet the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in 2008
republics. Under the Soviet system, the republics was seen in Russia as a serious security threat.
had been linked economically not only to Moscow, No other issue has increased tension between
but also to each other. Ukraine was formerly a Russia and the United States more than the ex-
republic of the Soviet Union, but became an inde- pansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
pendent country in 1991. (NATO). NATO was created by the United States
The disintegration of the Soviet Union affected and its Western European allies in 1949 to block
Russia’s defense system. Russia lost key military Soviet aggression in Europe. The Russian govern-
installations located in other former Soviet states. ment claims that NATO expansion and Ukraine’s
These facilities had been deliberately built on the desire to join is a serious and unacceptable threat
periphery of the Soviet Union to protect the heart- to its security.
land of the country from attack. Another concern In November 2021, Russia began a buildup
for the Russian government was the large number of its military forces along the borders of Ukraine
of ethnic Russians living in these neighboring that has continued into 2022. In February 2022, the
lands. At the same time, Russian control was not United States government warned that a Russian
what most of its newly independent neighbors invasion of Ukraine could happen within days.
wanted. National pride and a desire to end the
heavy Russian influence of the Soviet era contrib- Russia’s decision to use military force to annex
uted to this desire of former Soviet states to escape the Crimean peninsula and claim it from Ukraine
Russian dominance. as part of Russia in 2014 contributed to the U.S. be-
lief that Russia will use force to invade and reclaim
Today, in addition to feelings of national pride, Ukraine.
Russia’s neighbors want relations with the strong
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
The United States created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. Under the pro-
visions of NATO, the United States, Canada, and ten countries of Western Europe pledged to defend one
another if any member were attacked. NATO was formed in response to U.S. and European concerns
about the Soviet Union. It was the United States’ first peacetime military alliance. A key part of the NATO
alliance was that the United States maintained a large, permanent military presence in Europe in order to
project power and defend alliance members during the Cold War. Despite the Cold War ending and the
collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO still exists. Twenty-nine countries are members of the military
alliance today.
The Choices Program ■ Brown University Department of History ■ www.choices.edu
Crisis in Ukraine
Teaching with the News Online Resource
2
What are some international tional trade and financial transactions.)
perspectives on the situation?
Ukraine
The Ukrainian government is deeply con-
“ We urge all efforts before, not after a
possible escalation. Ukraine needs
security guarantees today. European
cerned about the buildup of Russian military forces security is threatened by a war in the
on the border of Ukraine. It believes its security is center of Europe. Ukraine needs real and
threatened by the Russian military, as it has been efficient security guarantees. That’s in the
since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Ukrainian interest of all our European partners.”
President Zelensky points out that the Ukrainian —Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff Andriy
government has been fighting Russian-backed forc- Yermak, February 11, 2022
es in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine
since then. Zelensky has urged the United States Although the goal of obtaining NATO
and its European allies not to wait to act until Rus- membership was adopted as part of Ukraine’s con-
sia invades and to impose economic sanctions now. stitution in 2017, President Zelensky suggested that
(Economic sanctions are restrictions on interna- Ukraine might be forced to rethink that goal.
Sasha Maksymenko (CC BY 2.0).
In the winter of 2013-14, protesters in Kiev’s Independence Square demonstrated against pro-Russia Ukrainian
President Yanukovich’s decision to deepen Ukraine’s ties with Russia. Riot police and security forces used violence
and intimidation tactics in their crackdown against continuing demonstrations. In January 2014, Yanukovich’s
government implemented anti-democratic legislation restricting political dissent. In late February, violence led to
rising death tolls among protesters and the police. Under growing pressure, Yanukovich fled Kiev to Russia and the
Ukrainian parliament voted to oust him from government. In March 2014, the crisis escalated further. Russia used
military forces to annex Crimea and claimed it from Ukraine as part of Russia. Residents of Crimea, 70 percent of
whom are ethnic Russians, voted overwhelmingly to cement their ties with Russia. Russian-backed separatists have
been fighting Ukrainian forces in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since then.
The Choices Program ■ Brown University Department of History ■ www.choices.edu
Crisis in Ukraine
Teaching with the News Online Resource
3
Ukrainians are not united in their demands for their membership. U.S. officials see Russia’s actions
the future of their country. Widespread divisions toward Ukraine as part of a larger strategy to divide
hinge upon the question: Should Ukraine follow a and weaken the NATO alliance.
European path or establish closer ties with Russia? U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken plans
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, many from the to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lav-
eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, support rov to pursue diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
closer ties to Russia.
Russia
The Russian government denies that it is going
“ We believe President Putin has made the
decision, but until the tanks are actually
rolling, and the planes are flying, we will
to invade Ukraine. During negotiations and from use every opportunity and every minute
statements from President Vladimir Putin, Rus- we have to see if diplomacy can still
sia has insisted that NATO not expand to former dissuade President Putin from carrying
Soviet countries and the United States not place this forward.”
offensive weapons near Russia. Putin also wants —U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken,
the United States to decrease its military forces in February 20, 2022
Eastern Europe. NATO membership for Ukraine is
an issue of key concern. The European Union
The European Union and its twenty-seven
“ Imagine that Ukraine becomes a NATO
member and launches those military
operations [to retake Crimea]. Should we
member states have expressed strong support for
Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in
the face of Russia’s military build-up on its borders.
fight NATO then? Has anyone thought There are different approaches among individual
about it?” countries about the best course of action. France’s
—Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Macron has engaged in direct diploma-
February 1, 2022 cy with Russian President Putin in an attempt to
prevent war. Germany, which receives much of its
Putin sees U.S. and European policies since the natural gas from Russia, has agreed to its willing-
end of the Cold War as hostile to Russia’s economic ness to cancel a major gas pipeline project with
and political interests, but is willing to engage in Russia if it invades Ukraine. Germany and France
diplomacy around the issue of Ukraine. have opposed NATO membership for Ukraine.
U.S. and European diplomats are working hard to
create a united European and U.S. response to the
United States
situation in Ukraine.
The Biden administration has warned that
Russia has already decided to invade Ukraine. The
United States has said it will not send military forc-
es if such an invasion takes place, but has supplied
weapons and training to the Ukrainian military.
“ Dialogue is a must but so is deterrence. Any
further aggression against Ukraine will
have massive consequences and severe
It has threatened Russia with severe economic costs for Russia.”
sanctions if it invades. The United States insists that —Josep Borrell, High Representative of the
Russia must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, January 9, 2022
and its sovereignty (right to govern itself without
outside interference). Although the United States
publicly supports Ukraine’s right to join the NATO
alliance, it has also said that it will not be allowed
to join until all NATO members vote to approve
The Choices Program ■ Brown University Department of History ■ www.choices.edu
