On Tuesday, as Russian legislators voted to allow Russian president Vladimir Putin to use military force abroad and EU nations agreed on a series of sanctions against the Kremlin, Ukraine’s defence minister issued a stark warning to the people of his country.
“Ahead will be a difficult trial,” Oleksiy Reznikov said in a statement released by the military. “There will be losses. You will have to go through pain and overcome fear and despondency.”
Meanwhile, the secretary general of Nato also issued a warning to the international community. The crisis unfolding in Ukraine is "the most dangerous moment for European security in a generation," Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
Mr Putin has “made it clear that he does not respect Ukraine as a state, he has no respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity or its current borders,” Daniel McLaughlin, who is reporting from Kyiv for the Irish Times, told the In the News podcast.
The fact that Putin has also confirmed that Russia now recognises the independence of the separatist-held enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk, is causing real concern for the Baltic states, added McLaughlin.
“How far does Putin want to turn back the historical clock to, in his eyes, right historical wrongs, bring about some form of historical justice for Russia and also to defend Russia against a hostile Nato?”
Today, we explain what is happening in Ukraine and ask how far is president Vladimir Putin willing to go?
You can listen to the podcast here:
In the News is presented by reporters Sorcha Pollak and Conor Pope
