Moscow, February 15: Currently, Russia and Ukraine are in a state of war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday announced of Russian invasion on February 16 in his Facebook post. Zelensky, in an address to his nation posted on Facebook, wrote, "We are told that February 16 will be the day of the attack." He declared this day as "The Day of Unity". Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border. The troop build-up had raised concerns among the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies that Russia is planning a military incursion. Russia-Ukraine Tensions: Kremlin Sees a Diplomatic Path on Ukraine.

However, Russia denied such claims. Officials from Ukraine, Russia and NATO nations were engaged in diplomatic discussions for weeks to ease the tensions in the region. However, the conversations did not bear any breakthroughs. Earlier, US President Joe Biden spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday and said that "swift and severe costs" would follow if Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia-Ukraine Conflict: US President Joe Biden To Speak to Vladimir Putin Amid Fears Of Russian Invasion Of Ukraine.

What Is The Conflict?

The Russo-Ukrainian War began in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Notably, Ukraine's elected President Viktor Yanukovych and his supporters were thrown out of power in February 2014 as he to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union. It is called the Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Maidan revolution. Ukraine's post-revolutionary government wanted to join the EU and NATO.

On February 27, unmarked military men wearing masks seized a number of important buildings in Crimea, including the parliament building and two airports. After which, the Supreme Council of Crimea dismissed the autonomous republic's government and replaced the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimea, Anatolii Mohyliov, with Sergey Aksyonov. However, Russia denied any involvement. Russia then recognized Crimea as a sovereign state. Till now, around 13,000 people have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict since 2014.

Russia wants Western guarantees that NATO won't allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members. It also wants the alliance to halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe — demands flatly rejected by the West. On Monday, the Kremlin signalled that it is ready to keep talking with the West about security grievances. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for diplomacy to defuse the heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2022 02:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).