[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ukraine has an area of 233,031 mi² and a population of 42 million. The country has a GDP of 3726.93 $ per capita, making it one of the poorest countries in Europe. Its capital and largest city is Kyiv. The country borders Russia and Belarus. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Ukraine is a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe and wishes to become a member of the European Union and NATO. Ethnic Russians make up about a sixth of the population, although more Ukrainians have Russian as their first language. Ukraine has an emerging free-market economy. The country exports agricultural products. The chemical and metal industries are also large. The economy was growing annually at 7 percent before the war started.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Independence of Ukraine.

On December 1, 1991, Ukraine, the second most powerful republic in the Soviet Union, voted overwhelmingly for independence, eliminating any realistic chance that the Soviet Union would stick together as a unit, even on a limited scale. More than 90% of Ukrainian voters expressed support for Ukraine’s declaration of independence.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine and Russia maintained close ties. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon state. Former Soviet nuclear weapons in Ukraine were removed and dismantled by Russia. In return, Russia, the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the United States (U.S.) agreed to maintain Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence through the Budapest Memorandum.
In the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, several former Eastern Bloc countries joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Russian leaders described this expansion as a violation of the Western powers’ informal guarantees that NATO would not expand eastward.

The Invasion of Crimea and the War in Eastern Ukraine

In 2014, Russia announced the annexation of Crimea.
The annexation of Crimea sparked armed conflict in the eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk.
On May 11, the separatists held a referendum on the independence of Donetsk Oblast. Independent observations were impossible during the referendum, but according to the separatists, 89% wanted secession. The next day Donetsk actually declared itself independent. The same scenario was repeated in Luhansk Oblast, leading to the proclamation of the independent Lugansk People’s Republic.
The international community condemned the annexation of Crimea. The West accused Russia of supporting the insurgents both financially and militarily, while the West was seen by Russia as responsible for the conflict spiralling out of control. In the years between 2014 and 2022, the West, especially the United States (U.S.), has supported Ukraine militarily with weapons, training, joint exercises, intelligence, and money.

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Impact of Russia’s Invasion from 2022

The economy in Ukraine has retracted to 1/3 of its original size. To get a complete picture of the damages caused by the invasion, please read this report

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Zelinski has been asking for help from other nations to support Ukraine against Russia’s aggression. The president demanded military support from NATO and its allies. All Western countries rejected direct military aid, fearing an escalation of the conflict and a Russian nuclear threat.
President Zelenski urged NATO and the E.U. to give Ukraine an emergency fast track toward membership. Both NATO and the E.U. claimed they could not grant the exception, but they accepted the Ukrainian candidacy and will help Ukraine become a member in the long run.
Ukraine has successfully resisted the Russian attacks because of broad support from the USA, the EU, and other Western partners.
Despite generous Western donations, Ukraine will need more finances and weapons to support it to withstand a long-term war. Ukraine needs more munition, automatic weapons, long-range rockets, missiles, Howitzers, anti-tank weapons, tanks, drones, air defense systems, Harpoons, and coastal defense systems. However, the USA and E.U. countries report a dwindling stock of firearms. Many countries are trying to speed up weapon manufacturing but are slowed down by supply chain issues. Moreover, the U.S. and E.U. need to justify to their electorate the unprecedented continued support for Ukraine amid a global economic downturn and high inflation.
Ukrainians have been very resilient against Russian aggressors. Ukrainians inside occupied territories have been living in horrifying conditions. Russian armies target innocent civilians and shoot innocent people. All community services are not working, so dead bodies and debris stay outside for a long time.
Russian soldiers forcefully deported, tortured, imprisoned, and raped many citizens. The economy has been halted, and many businesses and warehouses have been looted. Many people are without jobs and money and are starving. In the four territories Putin annexed, he also declared martial law, giving the Russian army complete control over anything in the region.

Despite the losses, the Ukrainian people managed to recapture over 50% of the land the Russians grabbed. Ukraine’s Spring Offensive has achieved minor territorial gains, but the frontlines have remained stable for almost a year. Both sides have dug in, making breakthroughs increasingly difficult, and the number of military casualties has climbed to an estimated half a million. Meanwhile, Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities and blockade its ports, and Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian ships and infrastructure. Since January 2022, Ukraine has received nearly $350 billion in aid, including $77 billion from the United States, though it warns of donor fatigue. Fighting and air strikes have inflicted nearly 22,000 civilian casualties, while 5.1 million people are internally displaced and 6.2 million have fled Ukraine. 17.6 million people need humanitarian assistance.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Policy options:

Accept a cease-fire based on the current lines of the conflict.
This option would likely offer the quickest route to ending the bloodshed, but it would effectively cede control over a significant portion of eastern and southern Ukraine. Although still a better outcome than many observers initially expected in February, this would represent a substantial loss for Ukraine and an apparent reward for Russia for Putin’s brutal campaign.
• Push to restore the status quo from before the invasion.
In this option, Ukraine would seek to regain control over all territory lost since February 2022 before accepting any end to hostilities. However, this would leave Russia in control of Crimea and likely result in the Kremlin continuing to exercise de facto control in the Donbas. Pursuing this option would entail continued fighting until Ukraine could either regain its lost territory or weaken Russia’s capacity to the point where it was willing to withdraw.
• Fight to restore Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders.
This would entail rolling back all Russian presence in Ukraine, including in Crimea and the Donbas. It would represent a significant victory for Ukraine and, indeed, for international norms surrounding sovereignty. However, since it would mean a significant defeat for Russia, achieving this option would require a prolonged military campaign during which civilian deaths would continue, outside support could wane, and Russia could regain the upper hand—or worse, resort to using weapons of mass destruction.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]