On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces entered the Ukrainian border from Belarus, Russia, and Crimea – marking the beginning of a war between Russia and Ukraine that has lasted nearly three years now. Despite formally recognizing Ukraine’s independence from Russia in 1991, Russia and Ukraine have always had a complicated relationship regarding territory. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has challenged Ukraine’s legitimacy as a state throughout his entire term, which began in 2000 and was continued in 2012 to present day. According to Congress.gov, over 100,000 people on each side, both civilians and military personnel, have either been killed or wounded since the start of the war. Ukraine’s lands, economy, and military have been decimated, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, remains adamant that a ceasefire will not be a strong enough solution to this horrible war.
Now that President Trump has returned to office, the conversation surrounding the United States’ relationship with both Ukraine and Russia, specifically Trump and Putin’s unseemly friendship, has resurfaced. Within the first week of his second term, President Trump publicly announced that he has begun negotiations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in regards to ending the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Katherine Kuhe, a sophomore at Ramapo, commented that she “hopes this can mean an end to the conflict in Ukraine. I had no idea this conversation was happening, and it sounds promising.”
During his re-election campaign in 2024, Trump repeatedly made promises to end the war if re-elected – swiftly and indefinitely. According to The Guardian, “Last month, Trump said: ‘Most people thought this war would last about a week, and now it’s been going on for three years,’ and said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had expressed interest in a negotiated peace deal.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that his talks with Putin were far more productive than his conversations with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, criticizing his diplomatic approach to the war for years now. In recent news, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have been criticized by some and praised by others for a recent outburst in the White House during a talk with Zelensky on live television. According to PBS News, “Viewers were particularly taken aback by Vice President JD Vance’s claim that Zelensky had not thanked the United States and President Trump enough for their efforts to achieve a ceasefire for his country after Zelenskley made it clear that he did not think a ceasefire was a strong enough solution”. As a result, Zelensky left the meeting early, and inquiries of the extent to which America will continue to support Ukraine in the future have arisen.
Mrs. Vander Molen, a history teacher at Ramapo High School, commented, “These disagreements can often lead to shaping our geopolitical landscape. Staying informed with reliable sources is imperative.” Despite the controversy and complications of this discussion, all Americans can unite in the hope for peace in this region.
