The tension between Russia and Ukraine, which lasted for months, increased day by day and reached the crisis level. Many phone calls and conversations in meetings did not yield any results.
Despite all the interventions and warnings, Russia did not back down from the invasion plan. The reason for the tension that caused the war between Russia and Ukraine goes back many years. It can be said that this tension started with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. While Belarus, one of the states that left by declaring their independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, established a close relationship with Russia, Ukraine preferred to have close relations with the West. Russia began to see this situation as a threat to itself. In 2014, Russia, taking advantage of Ukraine's authority vacuum, annexed Crimea. After this annexation, conflicts broke out in the border regions between Ukraine and Russia. The tension between Ukraine and Russia is based on the pro-Russian rebellion in Donbass in 2014. The rebellion started by the pro-Russians turned into the Donbass War. After the Donbass War, two autonomous regions were established in the north of the country.
The great tension between Ukraine and Russia had increased to the highest dose with the statement made by Russian leader Putin. Russia announced that it recognized the Lugansk People's Republic and the Donets People's Republic, which were established in the north of Ukraine, and this decision drew reactions all over the world. While the possibility of peace was gradually decreasing, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was expected to take place, officially started on February 24 at around 06:00 in the morning. The course of the war and the attitude of other countries became clear in the following days.
Many countries reacting to the invasion of Ukraine took sanctions against Russia. Russia has become the world's most sanctioned country due to its war on Ukraine, according to recent data. Moscow has been subjected to 2,778 new sanctions in just under two weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, bringing the total to 5,532, according to the global sanctions monitoring database Castellum.ai. The country with the most sanctions against Moscow is Switzerland, with 568. It is followed by the European Union with 518 sanctions, France with 512 sanctions, Canada with 454 sanctions and Australia with 413 sanctions. The US has imposed 243 sanctions against Russia so far. The sanctions include 2,427 individuals, 343 organizations, six ships and two aircraft.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10550811/How-Russia-sanctioned-world-Ukraine-invasion.html
Putin said Saturday that Western sanctions against Russia were akin to a declaration of war. Russia has demonstrated its own moves against the sanctions. Russia announced that it will now carry out gas trade with Western countries in Ruble. This decision disturbed the countries that imposed sanctions.
Also, while the war was going on, delegations of Russia and Ukraine started negotiations under the mediation of Turkey. After the first meetings between the delegations, the foreign ministers of the two countries came together in Antalya, Turkey, at the invitation of the Turkish foreign minister. Both countries left this meeting satisfied and it was reported by the authorities that progress was made.
After this development that gave hope to the world, new delegations from the two countries came together again in Istanbul on March 29, upon the invitation of President Erdogan of Turkey, and made a positive progress towards peace.
Upon these developments, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the heads of many countries thanked Turkey. Lavrov, on the other hand, made the assessment that "the results of the negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul are a positive development for the future".
The hope of the world right now is that Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky will come together and peace be achieved. Let's wait and see how the course of the war and the balances in the world will develop.
