Ukraine War: 4 Years of Devastation – Will It EVER End?!

LONDON – After four long years of full-scale war, a negotiated peace between Ukraine and Russia remains frustratingly out of reach. Despite repeated attempts and even a shift in approach from key international players, the conflict grinds on, leaving both nations ravaged and the world on edge.

Ukraine War: 4 Years of Devastation – Will It EVER...

I remember reading reports last year about a tense meeting in the Oval Office, where then-President Trump and Vice President Vance reportedly cornered Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. The gist? Make a deal, or lose U.S. support. While Zelenskyy and Trump seem to have patched things up since then, Trump's support for Ukraine has been… well, let's just say it's been wavering. He's been pushing for concessions from both sides, urging Zelenskyy and Putin to find a way out of this mess. The problem, of course, is that neither seems willing to budge enough.

And it seems the Trump administration has been leaning on Kyiv more than Moscow to make those sacrifices. Even after another year of Trump-backed talks, including a summit between the Russian and American presidents in Alaska, observers tell ABC News that a resolution is still a distant dream. It’s a stalemate, plain and simple.

Arne Westad, a professor at Yale, believes Putin is playing a waiting game, hoping the West and Ukraine will just get tired of the war. Smart? Maybe. Risky? Absolutely. Westad pointed out that Russia's battlefield losses have been astronomical, and their economy is feeling the pain more than ever. While he doesn't think this will immediately lead to negotiations, he does suggest the clock is ticking for Putin.

The U.S. isn't outright donating weapons anymore; instead, they're selling them to Ukraine and other NATO partners through the PURL initiative. Meanwhile, a "Coalition of the Willing," primarily driven by European nations, is working on a multinational peacekeeping force for post-war Ukraine. The U.S. is hesitant to put boots on the ground, but will likely offer logistical, intelligence, and air support to any foreign force deployed. European leaders are also playing a key role as guarantors of Ukrainian interests during these difficult peace talks. I recall reports of European leaders accompanying Zelenskyy to the White House for talks, seemingly to shield him from another tough talking-to from Trump. It's a complicated dance, to say the least.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has been saying that Europeans are "stepping up." But will it be enough? As Michael Kennedy, a professor at Brown University, told ABC News regarding Kyiv’s European partners, "I am frankly surprised that they have met the challe..." Well, he was cut off at that point, but the implication was clear: the situation remains precarious, and the future of Ukraine hangs in the balance.