In the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, delegates from the United States met with representatives from Ukraine and Russia for three days to continue ongoing negotiations for an eventual end to the War in Ukraine, which began when Russia invaded in 2022. As the war goes into its fourth year, and the death toll continues, the pressure for a peaceful resolution to the conflict has grown steadily, as has the desire for the United States to be a formidable force for peace in the conflict. But during the war the United States has undergone its own change of power, as the leadership of the free world has changed from former President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump, whose outlook differs on a variety of issues, even potentially the War in Ukraine. So now, as the Ukraine War continues to wage on, one can only hope that the leadership of the United States can have more success than their predecessors at achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict, without letting any domestic political tension from a contentious election interfere in levelheaded assessment of the war’s situation.  

After three days of US-led peace talks, consisting of a talk with Ukraine and the US on March 23rd and 25th, and a talk with Russia on the 24th, the White House announced that it had secured separate deals with Russia and Ukraine barring the use of force in the Black Sea, which has been one of the fronts of the Ukraine War since 2022. However, while the talks were successful regarding officially ending naval warfare in the region and promising a return to peaceful trade resuming in the area, no progress has been made in securing a ceasefire to the ground war, as innocent civilians and soldiers alike continued to die from Russian strikes as the talks commenced. Instances such as this have led many to suspect that Russia may just be using the negotiations as a stalling tactic to continue its invasion of Ukraine, while some analysts assert that the Black Sea agreement itself may be heavily favoring Russia, as the Kyiv Independent pointed out that the Ukraine navy has had much success on the Black Sea front, as in 2022 they were able to secure a great victory when they sunk the Russian flagship of the Black Sea fleet, Moksa, which was the first Russian flagship destroyed since the Russo-Japanese War all the way back in 1905. Sadly, some say this latest agreement may just give Russia’s battered Black Sea fleet time to lick their wounds.  

Chris Hoppe, a senior at HHS states “I think it’s a very nuanced conflict; obviously any solution that brings peace is preferable to war, but it’s hard to justify a treaty that may allow Russia to gain an advantage.” 

Especially after discussions at the White House deteriorated between Ukrainian leader Volodymir Zelenskyy and Donald Trump on February 28th, the United States has had to reassert that it is committed to Ukraine, as uncertainty still lingers over whether personal tensions between political leaders may threaten the prospect of a lasting peace and favor Russian aggression. Nonetheless, what can be agreed on is that the talks are not over, as is the War in Ukraine, but at the least some talks have occurred, and limited deals such as the Black Sea agreement have been signed, which may signal more to come.  

Sanya Khadivi, a senior at HHS hopes that “in the near future the US will be able to convince Russia to fully withdraw all troops from Ukraine, ending all destruction and loss of life. It would be even better if afterwards we could provide some sort of aid for the means of building up society again and helping all citizens reach a sense of normalcy.”