In a major escalation, Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, which he officially recognised as independent. Putin called the deployment a peacekeeping mission, which was swiftly condemned by the US and EU. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country was not afraid and would not give anything to anyone. The UN security council held an emergency meeting late Monday, where several nations condemned Russia's moves as a violation of international law and Ukraine's sovereignty. Turkiye's foreign ministry was also swift in its condemnation of Russia, calling its latest moves unacceptable. So is this crisis headed towards further escalation?

Guests:

Glenn Diesen

Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway

Peter Zalmayev

Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative

Mehmet Ali Ugur

Assistant Professor at Yalova University