Feb. 24 will mark three years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Additionally, Feb. 20 marked 11 years since the Russian invasion of Crimea, which is also Ukrainian territory. These milestones are significant markers that remind the world of a major conflict: Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been engaged in territorial acquisition of a sovereign European neighbor for over a decade now. As the conflict continues, the current United States administration is pushing for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The Trump administration the war by bringing both sides to the table. At a recent meeting of NATO allies, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for the conflict: that Russia will keep certain occupied lands in the east of Ukraine, and Ukraine will be denied NATO membership going forward. Hegseth also said that the future security of Ukraine is a European responsibility, not an American one.
Critics of the administration’s policy, like former American ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, , saying it would give Putin’s Russia a two-pronged victory for their aggression: They both get to expand Russian territory and guarantee that Ukraine will not join the NATO alliance.
Despite the aims shared by the Trump administration, Vice President JD Vance failed to explicitly discuss the conflict in his , where ending the war in Ukraine was supposed to be a primary point. Vance excoriated European allies over domestic issues on immigration, censorship and other matters but made no mention of Ukraine or Russia. However, Vance has addressed the issue on other occasions. , Vance implied the possibility of harsher economic sanctions or even military action if Vladimir Putin refused to come to the negotiating table. At the same time, President Trump’s security advisor Mike Walz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a meeting with Russian officials to which Ukrainian officials were not invited. This inconsistency highlights why many analysts are uncertain about what the administration's policy toward Ukraine will be. European allies are also left confused as to what a possible future of security for the continent could look like without dependence on American leadership and security guarantees.
For his part, on Feb. 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Meet the Press with Kristin Welker that Ukraine will never accept the terms of a deal for peace made between the United States and Russia without Ukraine as an active participant.
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