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Tensions are running high in Eastern Europe with tens of thousands of Russian soldiers gathering near the Ukrainian border. 

The Kremlin says it’s responding to increased violence in Ukraine’s Donbass region where pro-Russians separatists are fighting Ukranian forces. This conflict began in April 2014 and has escalated in recent weeks after months of low-intensity combat.

Russia says NATO is escalating the crisis in the region while western powers accuse Moscow of trying to annex more parts of Ukraine after it seized Crimea seven years ago.

Will the latest spike in violence plunge the region into another crisis? Mike Walter spoke with Volodymyr Yelchenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States — and Anton Fedyashin, professor of history at American University who specializes in Eurasian politics.