This Friday marks Earth Day. It is fair to say over the past few years, the world has gone through quite the transformative change. The most recent change has been the recent unfolding war in Ukraine.
On February 24th, Vladimir Putin, the incumbent President of Russia, launched an invasion on the city of Kyiv. Writer Paul Kirby, in his 2022 article for BBC News, “Why Has Russia Invaded Ukraine And What Does Putin Want?”, writes, “he…[Putin]… told the Russian people his goal was to ‘demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine’, to protect people subjected to what he called eight years of bullying and genocide by Ukraine’s government.”
Now, more than 50 days into the invasion, the war seems to rage on. However, a compromise had almost been reached. Sources from the NBC News says, “Russia offered to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Mariupol if they laid down their arms Sunday as the weeks long resistance in the besieged port city appeared to finally be coming to an end… The offer, made ‘out of purely humane principles,’ gave Ukrainian forces still fighting in the city until 6 a.m. Moscow time (11 p.m. ET) to surrender.”
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has become a salient story in today’s news. The United States is no stranger to international warfare but through the Biden administration, the US seems to be taking a different approach.
Writers Courtney Subraman and Eli Stokols, in his 2022 article for The Los Angeles Times, “Biden Ups Ukraine Aid As War With Russia Enters New Phase, But Will That Be Enough?”, writes, “even as President Biden has vowed not to let Russia win, it’s not at all clear an enhanced response will help Ukraine win the war or avoid a years-long conflict that is likely to strain the transatlantic alliance, cost billions in additional aid, further disrupt global economic markets and lead to more bloodshed on the front lines… Biden announced Tuesday a new tranche of $800 million in defense assistance for Kyiv. It includes advanced weapons and ammunition including artillery systems, armored personnel carriers, and the transfer of more helicopters to help Ukraine blunt Moscow’s latest offensive in the eastern Donbas region and the besieged city of Mariupol.”
More is to be seen as to whether this approach will prove to be effective enough to support the ongoing strife between Ukraine and Russia. What can be said is as this war wages on, the role that the United States will continue to play will be examined and reported in relation to its stance between the two countries.
