Why Ukraine is the target of Russian aggression – analyst Alina Polyakova

Tensions continue to escalate in Ukraine with Russian troop build-up and constant cyberattacks.

Will Putin invade Ukraine? Ian Bremmer speaks with Russia/Ukraine expert Alina Polyakova of the Center for European Policy Analysis, who believes that all the signals are pointing to a Russian invasion of Ukraine - though that could strengthen NATO.

Putin has responded to Western diplomacy with demands that are impossible to meet. Still, the US and NATO are trying their best to stop the war.

For Polyakova, the Biden administration is leading the efforts because the Europeans are not on the same page. But Putin should not test NATO unity. A Russian invasion of Ukraine, she says, could strengthen the alliance — as did Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. Most Ukrainians, want to join NATO, but Polyakova thinks they need to fix their fragile democracy first.

She believes Western powers should work closely with Kyiv to preserve its fledgling democratic system. “I think we have to bet on Ukraine developing as a democracy in the years ahead," says Polyakova.