NATO sends a letter to Russia to “try to find a way forward”. NATO Chief hopes to find a diplomatic solution between Russia and Ukraine as the stand-off heats up. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg states “We will outline that we are ready to sit down … and discuss arms control, disarmament, transparency on military activities, risk reduction mechanisms, and other issues which are relevant for European security. And also to sit down and listen to Russian concerns.”
Just yesterday, US Pentagon released a notification to about 8500 soldiers to be on high alert. Although there are no schedules for deployment, this move shows that the US is prepared to support Ukraine. There are 40,000 NATO soldiers at the border. The soldiers are composed of multi-national troops that will defend Ukraine in case of invasion.
At the moment there is an estimated build-up of 140,000 Russian troops along with their state-of-the-art equipment at the border. UK and USA began down staffing their respective embassies including their families. They have also encouraged Ukrainian citizens to leave if possible until the stand-off clears.
At the moment, there is no clear evidence to support the theory of why President Vladimir Puttin is placing troops at the border. As far as western intelligence has reported, the president is looking to install a different ruler for Ukraine. The country is trying to fight for independence as they decided to join NATO.