Europe Should End the War in Ukraine, Not the U.S.
By: Sophia (Harding) Douglas
The end of the war in Ukraine is not America’s business. The United States needs to continue to send aid to Ukraine until a settlement can be reached to end the war that is favorable to Ukraine. In order to maintain alliances in Europe and continue to advance its own national interests, the United States should defer to Europe over if and when a negotiation can end conflict.
The U.S. has been the single largest contributor of aid to Ukraine, supplying Ukraine with $127.6 billion in aid since the start of the war. Despite support from the United States and the Western world, the war remains at a tense stalemate. Russia has gained ground in recent months and the majority of Ukrainians now favor a quick negotiated end to the war. Donald Trump has publicly stated his intention to end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office due to domestic concerns about the amount of government money being sent to Ukraine. However, Russia has expressed that they are not interested in returning seized territory to Ukraine and European countries would not be comfortable with an end to the war that advantages Russia. The international community accepting any legitimacy of Ukrainian territory seized by Russia could set a dangerous precedent for Russian actions in Europe. Russia has not respected agreements on territory lines in the past and is not likely to make a land concession in a war where it currently has the upper hand. The U.S. cannot be responsible for a negotiation between Russia and Ukraine that undercuts the interests of their allies in Europe.
Under Trump’s previous presidency, he threatened to withdraw U.S. military support for NATO unless NATO members fulfilled their financial and military obligations to the alliance. This has made many NATO members concerned over what a second Trump presidency might mean for their future security. Cutting off aid to Ukraine or rushing to end the war on unfavorable conditions for Ukraine would be taken as a decreased commitment by the U.S. to NATO and the military protection of Europe. The United States depends on its alliances with Europe to maintain a military presence in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. If America demonstrates that its military commitments are hollow it could lead to the disintegration of alliances all over the world, particularly in Asia. The U.S.’s military strength depends on its vast military bases abroad. If the U.S. loses those bases it faces not only being outnumbered by Chinese and Russian allies, but also losing its status as the military power of the world. The U.S. also needs to maintain an uncompromising front against Russia if it wishes to meet foreign policy interests in other areas of the world like Taiwan where it has stated that it will refuse to recognize affronts on a nation’s sovereignty.9
Continuing to send aid to Ukraine still fulfills U.S. interests. In addition to keeping European alliances strong, the U.S. aid is helping Ukraine maintain a strong defense against Russia. Preventing Russia from gaining territory decreases the chances that Russia will launch an offensive into a NATO country, which would draw the U.S. into a direct war. Ending the war quickly would require recognizing Russian authority over the seized territories, which would only serve to embolden the country. An emboldened Russia is more likely to start additional wars in Europe, something the U.S. needs to avoid. While it is expensive to continue aiding Ukraine, it would be far more costly to go to war in Europe. The Ukrainian war has also significantly drained Russian military resources, weakening the U.S. military rival without the loss of a single American serviceman.
There are many Americans who are troubled by the price tag of continued financial and military aid to Ukraine. However, the U.S. aid to Ukraine is currently only 5% of the U.S. defense budget and 1% of the total budget, less money than the government spends on traffic signs each year.11 The advantages that the U.S. is gaining by aiding Ukraine far outweigh the costs. Furthermore, the largest portion of Ukraine aid, security assistance, largely goes to U.S. military contractors, creating thousands of American jobs producing the military weapons and tools supplied to Ukrainian fighters. This aid money not only creates American manufacturing jobs but has bolstered the American defense industry and kept our own military supplies well stocked.
While America does not wish for the Ukraine war to drag on indefinitely, President-elect Trump cannot be responsible for the negotiation process to end the Ukraine war. America should rely on its European allies to broker any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. In the meantime, it is against American national interest to stop sending aid to Ukraine. Americans should petition their congressional representatives and the White House to continue sending aid to Ukraine. U.S. citizens can show how broad American support is for the war by hanging Ukrainian flags in their homes and communities
Sophia is a first year graduate student in the school of diplomacy specializing in Global Negotiation and Conflict Management and Post State Reconstruction and Sustainability. She is passionate about finding creative solutions to difficult problems and hopes to use her degree to work as a policy writer.
