Graphic by Bryan Yip ’24/The Choate News
On an average weekday night, American students spend their time preparing for the school day ahead. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, teenagers are forced to evacuate their homes and hide in bomb shelters to protect themselves from the imminent threat of Russia’s invasion. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, initially launched his military campaign in February, and it has since escalated to a full-scale war. Major Ukrainian cities are under siege. The port city of Kherson was left unrecognizable as Russia fought to seize the area, ultimately succeeding on March 2. Museums, universities, and other landmarks have crumbled to the ground, and the lives of Ukrainian citizens have been forever changed. As of March 16, an estimated 250 citizens have been killed in Kharkiv alone. While civilians face death and destruction in Ukraine, we must ask ourselves — what responsibility do we Americans have to the Ukrainian people?
Aid is essential to ending the crisis in Ukraine. The U.S. cannot sit by idly while Ukraine suffers. Thankfully, on March 11, President Joe Biden signed a funding bill into law that includes 13.6 billion dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine. Aid given by the U.S. will go toward humanitarian relief, disaster assistance, and helping refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) within Ukraine. The U.S. has given indirect military assistance in the form of weapons from the U.S. defense stocks. The total amount of aid the U.S. is providing exceeds the amount in the package itself. According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “On the ground, the [agency] is partnering with United Nations agencies to position critical relief supplies throughout Ukraine.” These supplies include emergency food, surgery, medical kits, thermal blankets, sanitation, and an additional $107 million in humanitarian aid.
This is not the first time that the U.S. has provided emergency relief and humanitarian aid to a country. The world cannot function if countries do not help each other in times of crisis, and the U.S. has plenty of resources to lend to Ukraine. It is important to think about what the near future will look like. So far, the Biden administration has supplied arms to the Ukrainian army but has rejected a Polish proposal to send fighter jets to Ukraine with U.S. help. This is a good line to draw as of now because direct military support in Ukraine could cause this war to escalate to a global level. It is important not to act impulsively by sending its troops preemptively, especially when it comes to a situation as delicate as the one at hand.
Some argue that because Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the U.S. does not have a responsibility to protect them. However, if we refuse to support Ukraine in any capacity, it will send a dangerous message to the rest of the world — that the US will turn its back to unjust attacks on its allies. No one can truly predict what the future of this war is, but if the U.S. is able and willing, they can help support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
