After peace talks between Ukraine and Russia stalled in Istanbul at the beginning of this month, Russia has now launched a new offensive into the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia has signaled previously that it does not aim to capture a new region; instead it is thought by military analysts and Ukrainian soldiers that this push aims to dampen Ukrainian momentum, according to The New York Times. So far, however, this offensive has been stalled by Ukraine, according to reports. Russia has, at most, advanced forward a couple tree lines in the region, with it being unclear if Russia has been able to penetrate through the region’s borders at all. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently responded to the possibility of capturing Sumy, a key city in Ukraine, by saying, “We don’t have a goal to grab Sumy…but I don’t exclude it in principle,” according to the New York Times. This brings into question whether Russia has peace or ceasefire in mind at this current moment in the conflict. 

Though there have been attempted ceasefire talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, they have failed thus far, besides a prisoner swap and the return of dead soldiers. The failure of successful ceasefire negotiations has demonstrated an inability for the United States to act as a mediator in the conflict, despite President Donald Trump claiming he could end the conflict in a single day. 

The Russia-Ukraine conflict began after Russia launched a land invasion into Ukraine in February 2022. Although Russia expected to capture Kiev within days of its initial invasion, Ukraine has been able to continually defend itself in the last three years of the conflict. Recently, Ukraine launched a drone attack deep into Russia named “Operation Spider’s Web” which, according to Ukraine, resulted in seven billion dollars in damage. Though Russia has been able to capture around 20% of Ukraine, the attempt of further advances has been continually stalled over the conflict. In part, this can be attributed to significant support from Western countries, including the United States and European countries who are the leading overall contributors in financial support to Ukraine in the conflict. With the United States being the number one contributor since the beginning of the conflict, the shift in overall support from the White House for Ukraine has brought concern to European leaders. With a recent tumultuous meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the White House and no subsequent meeting at the recent G7 summit, this brings into question how likely a peace agreement is between Ukraine and Russia without proper mediation by the United States.  

With over 13,000 civilian deaths and over 32,000 civilians wounded, the conflict must end. Continued attacks and destruction of civilian infrastructure, like hospitals and schools, have resulted in great suffering by Ukrainian citizens across their nation. The United States needs to affirm its support to end the conflict and mediate peace. The lack of direct support from the United States could result in several more years of conflict that will cause further civilian suffering in Ukraine. The United States and the European Union should also affirm their support in rebuilding Ukraine after the conflict ends. Ukraine is not just a country in conflict – it is a representation of the struggle against authoritarianism and fight against ruthless rulers. The Ukrainian people who have suffered greatly have been bravely protecting their country from authoritarianism with fearlessness and hope, empowering them to effectively defend themselves against continued invasion, despite being significantly outnumbered by Russia.