Russia has kept the world on its toes as tensions on the Ukraine border keep escalating, with the reports of the former Soviet Union country adding more troops in preparation for an invasion any day now. The world is uncertain about President Vladimir Puntin’s endgame for this crisis – will it be an extensive round of diplomatic talks or are we headed for an unthinkable war? And at the forefront of this entire crisis, in an effort to subdue and judge the Russians, is the United States, with President Joe Biden warning that the US is prepared to respond diplomatically and decisively if Russia attacks Ukraine.  The crisis has turned into a dangerous game of charades among three players – Russia claiming that it has pulled back some troops from the border, the US intelligence assessing that Russia is lying about the de-escalation, while Ukraine and the rest of the world left interpreting what these actions mean. In our previous episode on this crisis, we dived into why Russia – pertinently Putin – wants Ukraine and has placed over 150,000 troops at its border. In today’s episode, we discuss how the US, being a global superpower, has responded to this crisis so far, what options does it have, and we will also try to answer the big question – how will this all end? Joining me today to discuss this is Dr Georg Löfflmann, a professor in War Studies and US Foreign Policy at the University of Warwick. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Saundarya Talwar Also listen to: Ukraine-Russia Conflict: In this Game of Chicken, Who Will Yield First? Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur