August 15, Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin arrived in Alaska to begin their conference on the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict. Greeting each other with bright smiles, the two seemed ready to close a deal to end the ongoing war. The two leaders entered their shared vehicle and started to converse with each other about the issue at hand.
The conflict began in 2014 when Ukraine dismissed a Russian-aligned president, Viktor Yanukovych, leading to retaliation where Russia annexed the Crimea region. Subsequently, other Ukrainian regions nearby fell victim to the Russian military, leading the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to declare independence. While these notable battles began in 2014, the full-scale war started in February 2022. While Putin states that Russia’s attempt to reclaim Ukraine stems from allegations against Ukraine that label it a Nazi state, the slander proved baseless, leading the public to speculate on the true reasons for the invasion. The war originates from Ukraine’s desire to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which poses a direct threat to Russia.
The U.S. feels a sense of involvement in ending the ceasefire due to its place in NATO and its care for global stability and security. Although Ukraine does not fully reside with NATO, it acts as a partner country, which led member countries to support Ukraine throughout the war. The U.S. specifically continues to provide Ukrainian forces with real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements, cybersecurity and air force backing due to the U.S’s advanced technology. The U.S. also funded over $17 billion in aid to Ukraine, as the U.S. contributes to 70% of NATO’s defense spending.
Outside of NATO, the U.S. has supplied aid in the physical and humanitarian aspects of war, providing Ukraine direct military aid and lethal weapons as well as food and medical supplies for displaced Ukrainians. Upon returning to office, Trump publicly criticized the Biden administration’s military aid to Ukraine as he believed they risked escalation of the war with Russia. However, Trump’s administration continues to supply Ukrainian forces with military weapons and maintains the same military aid committed under Biden. After disparaging the former administration, he claimed that he could quickly resolve the Russia-Ukraine war through direct leader-to-leader negotiation. He then decided to invite Putin to Alaska in an attempt to resolve the conflict.
“He [Putin] is bringing a lot of businesspeople from Russia, and that’s good. I like that, because they want to do business, but they are not doing business until we get the war stopped. The war’s got to stop, and the killing’s got to stop. He is a leader of his country. I say it is better to get along with Russia than not… I will not be happy if I walk away without some form of a cease-fire,” President Trump said.
After Trump announced his meeting with Putin, U.S. citizens quickly speculated the results and success of the conference. People felt skepticism over this idea as they gained concerns about the U.S. favoring Russia, when the U.S. previously worked to aid Ukraine. European officials similarly feared this meeting as they believed Ukraine would face pressure to comply with the two states. Even after hearing these concerns, Trump decided to continue with this conference as he felt confident it would lead to a ceasefire.
“I feel like Trump and Putin coming to meet for a ceasefire is good for the overall well-being of the nation. However, I am skeptical about how they reached their conclusion. Because for the past few years, they have been at odds on issues such as Ukraine. I am hopeful to see a ceasefire and peace between Russia and Ukraine in the near future,” magnet senior Gabby Sutton said.
While Trump entered the conference with pure intentions, the results did not pan out in the way he hoped for. The president claims that the two leaders progressed toward a ceasefire; however, upon exiting the meeting, Trump pivoted towards a Peace Agreement instead of a ceasefire. Still, the leaders’ efforts toward peace stand still.. This leaves the Ukrainian people still at risk as the U.S. spends billions of dollars on weapons and aid to the cause.
