For months, Russian troops have been amassing along the Ukrainian border. 

While in recent days some of those troops have begun withdrawing, officials in the Biden administration are still warning that Russia is on the cusp of invading Ukraine. 

But Russia has repeatedly rejected that claim, accusing the US of “nonsense and melodrama.” 

The immediate crisis stems from Ukraine’s desire to join the international security alliance NATO, a move Russian President Vladimir Putin considers an existential threat to Russia’s security. 

Today, former head of DFAT Michael Costello, on the real origins of the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, and what the US and its allies are getting wrong. 

This is the first in a two-part series from 7am examining rising geopolitical tensions between the world’s superpowers.

Guest: Former head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Michael Costello.

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