It took Russia less than two days to lay siege over Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and to make it abundantly clear that Putin's aim is not just to merely de-militarise the separatist regions of Donestk and Luhansk.
As missile strikes pounded Kyiv, a desperate Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to defend their country as no foreign troops would come to their aid.
While the tensions continue, the conflict raises several major questions:
What can the US and NATO do next to stop Russia? Will the sanctions have any impact? What does a Russian takeover of Ukraine, if that happens mean for Europe and the world? Can India continue to not take sides in this conflict, even as it seeks to play a bigger role on world stage? And what will be the long term impact of this conflict on global alliances and China's role in the world? To discuss this CNBC-TV18 spoke to Daniel Fried, Former US Ambassador to Poland; Edward Luce, Associate Editor of Financial Times and KC Singh, Former Diplomat & Strategic Affairs Expert.
Watch accompanying video for entire discussion.