The frozen conflict in Eastern Ukraine has become one of intense disagreement. The Russian-inspired

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The frozen conflict in Eastern Ukraine has become one of intense disagreement. The Russian-inspired separatist factions in Eastern Ukraine (Luhansk and Dunestak) pose as threats to Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, statehood and NATO membership– Russia's primary goal (Grigas, 2016).  Russia's encroaching efforts left Kyiv scrambling to find military assistance from large powers like the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada to protect and defend itself (Russia Direct, 2015). In Moscow's eyes, the US and NATO powers' pledge to stand and help Ukraine fight for its independence has risen tensions. Since 2014, this frozen conflict has been a volatile topic that continues to fester. 

As the frozen conflict in Eastern Ukraine continues, William Hill–a contributing author to Russia Direct– offers recommendations with hopes of a peaceful resolution. In my opinion, the best recommendation for the Eastern Ukraine conflict would be to "start, re-open, and/or ensure"  a conversation between Russia, Ukraine and Western powers (Hill, 2015). This conversation allows parties to clearly outline their intentions, acknowledge their differences, manage tensions and focus on a solution. Currently, Russia's lack of interest in conversing with Ukraine and its Western counterparts can be responsible for the lack of progress made to resolve this conflict. If Russia continues to disregard Ukraine's independence and contribute to the escalation of the conflict, severe consequences may follow. Given Russia's recent economic and political struggles, they may not be able to withstand these consequences. Therefore, it is in their best interest to shift from playing stirring the pot in the Post-Soviet sphere to peaceful/effective diplomacy, while also focusing on their internal issues. With that, I believe the route of diplomacy is the safest option for all parties involved to go about the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.