3 Years of Russia’s War on Ukraine

Kyiv, Ukraine —(Map)

Yesterday marked three long, hard years since Russia invaded Ukraine. It has been an incredibly difficult time for the country. Both Ukraine and Russia have suffered greatly. Neither side is in a position to win. But now, under President Donald Trump, US support for Ukraine seems to be fading.

When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, many people expected a short war. That was true even in Western countries that supported Ukraine. Russia, with its larger army and more powerful weapons, seemed like it would quickly overpower Ukraine.

But Ukraine held out. And after losing some territory to Russia, managed to win some back. Ukraine’s successes encouraged Western countries to give it even more support. Western countries have sent Ukraine tens of billions of dollars in aid, advanced weapons, and other military support.*

But the costs in Ukraine have been high. Ukraine says around 43,000 of its soldiers have been killed. Over 12,000 civilians have lost their lives, and close to 30,000 have been injured. Russian bombs and drone strikes have hit thousands of civilian targets. Over 10 million Ukrainian civilians have been forced to leave their homes as a result of the war.

The war has been costly for Russia, too. Russia is believed to have lost over 100,000 soldiers. More than 500,000 more have been injured. But the huge costs of the war have not caused Russia to slow its attacks.

Support for Ukraine is especially strong in Europe because Ukraine is seen as fighting for Europe. If Ukraine were unable to hold Russia off, some European countries fear that they could be Russia’s next target. This view is shared by NATO and, until recently, by the US.

Support for Ukraine is strong in Europe because Ukraine is seen as fighting for Europe. If Ukraine were unable to hold Russia off, some European countries fear they could be Russia’s next target. Until recently, this view was shared by the US. Above, a children’s hospital damaged by a Russian drone attack on February 19.

But that position seems to have changed rapidly after Mr. Trump became president again. Mr. Trump has long had an unusually close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Western countries have been trying to isolate Russia and Mr. Putin since Russia attacked Ukraine. But now Mr. Trump is doing the opposite.

Mr. Trump has held phone calls with Mr. Putin. He has had top US diplomats meet with Russian diplomats to talk about the war, without inviting Ukraine. Mr. Trump has falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war, and has asked Ukraine to give the US roughly $500 billion in valuable minerals in return for US support.

Western countries have been trying to isolate Russia since the war began. Mr. Trump is doing things differently. Yesterday, the US voted against a UN agreement saying Russia should pull its soldiers out of Ukraine. That’s the opposite of the previous US position. Above, the UN Security Council meeting yesterday.

Mr. Trump’s actions have surprised and shocked Ukraine and US allies, as well as people and politicians in the US. Just yesterday, the US voted against a special UN agreement that said Russia should pull its soldiers out of Ukraine immediately. That’s the exact opposite of the previous US position. Under Mr. Trump, the US wanted an agreement to end the war that didn’t blame Russia for attacking Ukraine.

Three years after Russia attacked Ukraine, the brutal war is still being fought every day. But now Ukraine appears to be losing one of its strongest allies – the US. That could leave European countries struggling to support Ukraine on their own.

* The US has sent Ukraine about $119 billion in aid. European Union countries have supplied around $141 billion in aid.