At least 100,000 troops are positioned within reach of Ukraine’s borders and US President Joe Biden has deployed 3,000 extra military troops to eastern Europe. Russia may deny any plans for invasion but it has carved out a series of demands from the West that cannot be met.
What happens next could jeopardise Europe’s entire security structure. The main tools in the West’s armoury appear to be sanctions and military aid in the form of advisers and weapons. President Biden has also warned that he would consider personal sanctions on Vladimir Putin, if Russia invades Ukraine. The UK has also warned that “those in and around the Kremlin will have nowhere to hide”.