NATO is now concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use “the pretext of a humanitarian or peace-keeping mission as an excuse” to invade eastern Ukraine with the 20,000 combat-ready Russian troops amassed near the border. That’s certainly one option for Vladimir Putin, although it would come at a steep cost. “Direct invasion still isn’t Putin’s preferred policy,” geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group told Business Insider in an email. “It will be costly/bloody, will drive the Europeans closer to the U.S. on sanctions, the southeast Ukrainian population will be hardened in opposition to Moscow (where right now …read more
Source: Business Insider
