The United States has backed the European country Ukraine since 1991, since its exit from the Soviet Union. Now, as Ukraine engages in a defensive war against Russia, the strength of our alliance has come into question; Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head and tech billionaire Elon Musk has encouraged the U.S. to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Donald Trump has paused all aid to Ukraine since Mar. 3, and Trump has recently spread misinformation about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Discussing a Russian meeting at the Saudi Arabian capital, on Feb. 12, Zelenskyy told reporters, “With all due respect to President Donald Trump as a leader… he is living in this disinformation space.”

On Feb. 20, Trump wrote a post on Truth Social that said, “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”

Zelenskyy has remained president of Ukraine since he was elected for a five-year term in 2019 and martial law was declared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On Feb. 28, Zelenskyy met with Trump and his cabinet for diplomatic negotiations when the conversation escalated. Trump told Zelenskyy, “You’re gambling with World War III.” Vice President JD Vance asked Zelenskyy, “Have you said thank you once this entire meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.” Trump later added, “You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. That was with Obama who gave you sheets, and I gave you javelins.” When sophomore Vikram Ayyagari heard about the unpresidential exchange between Zelenskyy and Trump, he said he “felt frustrated because of the clear lack of factual evidence Trump uses to make major claims like that.”

Senior Mihir Ayyagari watched the encounter on YouTube. “The Trump administration’s complete betrayal of Ukraine and attempt to humiliate President Zelenskyy in the White House ambush on Feb. 28 made me furious. Zelenskyy has said ‘Thank you’ to Trump, Biden, and the American people literally hundreds of times,” Mihir Ayyagari said.

Ukrainian-American students say they think the U.S. should continue to be aligned with Ukraine, looking into the future at how the war might affect the rest of the world. Vikram Ayyagari said, “The US should be aligned with Ukraine because the war won’t only affect Ukraine but also major countries in Europe if Ukraine loses.”

Freshman Daniil Gorobets is an immigrant from Odessa City, Ukraine, and has seen the consequences of the war firsthand. Gorobets said, “The US should be United with Ukraine because Ukraine will lose and many will die.”

Ukrainian-American students say they think the U.S.’s relationship with Ukraine is shifting. With recent diplomatic commotion, Americans are questioning the sanctity of our relationship with Ukraine. Gorobets said, “[The US and Ukraine’s relationship] might be shifting, because the USA needs [to] help Ukraine. Without the U.S. helping, Russia can [easily] win that war.”

Students also say they think U.S. involvement in the war is important. Mihir Ayyagari said, “After forcing Ukraine to give up the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world in exchange for security guarantees, we should not betray Ukraine. We should keep our promise, otherwise all countries will rush to get nuclear weapons as the only certain deterrent of invasion. This will make the world much more dangerous.”