Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-has-seen-talks-proposals-russia-contact-with-european-allies-2021-12-17/
The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, has stated that Russia has proposed talks with the United States to defuse the situation in Ukraine. She also said that the US will not talk about European security without their European allies/partners present. Ukraine and the US have reported that Russia has placed over 90,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, perhaps planning to invade — Moscow denies that notion. Russia claims that it is threatened by the growing relations between Ukraine and NATO considering Ukraine wants to join NATO and NATO may deploy missiles opposing Russia on Ukrainian land. The US is apparently open to engaging with Russia to reduce instability as it has done for decades. Putin and Biden engaged in a two-hour video call on December 7th and may have another before the year ends.
This is significant considering the hostilities between Ukraine and Russia have been growing for some time. Russia placing 90,000+ troops within reach of the Ukrainian border could be viewed as gearing up for an offensive move, though Russia would need to weigh the international fallout that would occur as a result, and determine whether this would invite any retaliation by allies of Ukraine. It is interesting that Russia is concerned with the US over a very nearby dispute considering the US is located across the globe — this demonstrates the sheer power that the US wields and the influence it has even over powerful countries like Russia. Since NATO was created to combat the USSR, it isn’t surprising that Russia feels threatened by it and Ukraine, especially given Russia’s history of constant invasions and outside opposition, therefore, though unsavory, it is a very rational and intelligent approach that Russia is taking towards Ukraine.
This predicament falls into the category of International Security since Ukraine is concerned with its security while Russia is acting out of concern for its own security. States such as Ukraine, the US, and Russia are all involved. There are also geopolitical considerations to take into account, such as Russia’s constant desire for buffer zones, Ukraine’s large ethnically Russian population, and the strategic value that Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula possess. As I touched on earlier, the unipolar system of the world is clearly demonstrated by the US’s involvement in this situation, when 100 years ago it would be none of our business. Yet, the US’s political reach is so great that Putin and Biden are both talking to resolve the issue instead of Ukraine and Russia just escalating tensions.