The United States of America, a country that prides itself on equality and freedom for all people, is creating itself into a laughingstock in the international forum by the day.

Although heavy sanctions have been placed on Russian imports, specifically oil and gas imports, these attempts to halt Russian advances into Ukraine are insufficient. Sanctions have been in effect on Russia since 2014, during Russia’s initial invasion of Crimea.

Though these sanctions look good on paper, and have somewhat stunted Russia’s economic growth, it has not been enough to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is shallow.

During President Biden’s State of the Union address March 1, he clearly stated that U.S. troops will not actively engage in combat against Russian forces, but will only engage if Russia decides to move West and invade any NATO ally. 

Holding Russia accountable for human rights violations is crucial, and although the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recently voted Russia out of the ​​UN Human Rights Council, it isn’t enough. Russia is already too invested in the conflict to pull out, so sanctions and other forms of punishment hold no value.  

Although an 800 million-dollar package was approved, including an arsenal of helicopters, drones and protective equipment, Russia’s advances won’t stop. These packages and pledges to assist Ukraine won’t help alleviate the conflict. Unless something significant is done, like sending U.S. troops to assist Ukraine, there won’t be an end to the atrocities. 

In my opinion, practically, the U.S. only has two options at mitigating the situation. Either fully remove itself from the conflict and allow Russia to annex Ukraine, or to fully involve itself in the conflict and send U.S. troops to the front lines in Ukraine.

Both options will have serious consequences, so heavy consideration must be given to both options before committing. But if the U.S. continues to take a lackluster approach, alleviating the situation is practically wishful thinking.

If the U.S. deems the Russia-Ukraine conflict worth its time, it must actively engage itself, and understand the repercussions to participating or not participating in the ongoing conflict.