President Joe Biden cast a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine in stark historical terms Tuesday, saying, 'it would be the largest invasion since World War II.'
This is very different from the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, which was largely contained within Crimea itself, with fighting lasting a little over a month, and Ukraine ultimately withdrawing its troops.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been building up Russia's military presence on the Ukrainian border for months. Putin insists that Russia is only protecting itself from what he sees as an expanding NATO alliance. He wants assurances that Ukraine will not be admitted as a member. Asked whether the odds of a Russian invasion had increased or decreased in recent days, Biden said it was difficult to predict Putin's next move.
In Putin's case, however, the autocratic leader has a long record of bluffing and doublespeak. Moreover, Russia's economy is dependent on energy exports to Europe, and they would likely take a hit from economic sanctions NATO has pledged to impose in response to any attack on Ukraine.
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