This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

On Monday, Feb. 17, the United States and Russia began negotiations to attempt to resolve some aspects of their international relationship. At the conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Trump administration concluded their initial discussion of the Russo-Ukranian war with Russia by Feb. 18. However, despite being a main party in the conflict in question, Ukraine was not invited to participate in negotiations relating to the war on their soil.

Backtracking support

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014 but drastically escalated in 2022 with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In January 2025, the U.S. Department of State called the act “premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified” and highlighted the country’s support for Ukraine. As of Jan. 20, 2025, the United States has provided $65.9 billion in military assistance alone, with an additional $69.2 billion since the initial invasion in 2014.

“The United States reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters…It remains an urgent security assistance priority to provide Ukraine the equipment it needs to defend itself against Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

United States Department of State, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Jan. 2025

The U.S., with this assistance, has made its stance on the conflict clear, with the support of transcending presidential terms. However, under the Trump administration, it appears that the United States is attempting to revoke its support of the country.

According to the New York Times, Russian officials believe that the U.S. may better understand their perspective on Ukraine because of negotiations with Americans. The meeting itself was seen by the Times as an attempt to fully abandon Russia’s punishment for its actions in Ukraine and instead raise the possibility of siding with them.

The Trump Administration’s Aggression Towards Ukraine

The Trump administration’s aggression toward Ukraine is not unique to the president’s second term. In December 2019, BBC cited that Trump was accused of “withholding nearly $400m (£327m) in congressionally approved military aid in order to pressure Ukraine’s new president into launching an inquiry into his 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden and Mr. Biden’s son.” This would later be coined the Trump-Ukraine scandal. While Trump has claimed not to be at fault and that this situation was inaccurate, rough transcripts of the phone calls with President Volodymyr Zelensky and whistleblower reports suggest otherwise.

Trump himself has also taken some of the aggression into his own hands, calling Zelensky a dictator during a meeting. This comment was not taken well on the global stage, with other countries speaking out against using the word about Zelensky. Additionally, during a news conference at Mar-A-Lago, Trump blamed Ukraine for their invasion.

However, the commentary and stances in opposition to Ukraine don’t just come from Trump directly. While partaking in a Fox News interview, U.S. national security advisor Mike Waltz took his screen time as an opportunity to speak to Ukraine’s president directly. While on air, he instructed Zelensky to “tone it down“ regarding his opposition to a deal presented by the Trump administration.

In contrast, many countries have reinforced their stance against Russia. The foreign minister of Spain, for one, has directly centered the problem on Russia’s leadership. The Financial Times quotes him as saying, “Peace is still very far away and for one reason only: Vladimir Putin.”

Previous exclusions and the political weight of invitations

Ukraine’s exclusion isn’t new to the global stage but is often not done in this manner. Previously, in the aftermath of WWI, following their defeat, the Central Powers, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Türkiye, were excluded by the Allied Powers during the Paris Peace Conference. Russia was also partially excluded as the new Bolshevik Government had withdrawn from the conflict in December 1917. After Russia publicized secret Ally agreements and decisions regarding collective debt, the angered U.S. chose not to recognize the new government and, therefore, did not invite them to the conference.

While the WWI exclusions happened following the war, the Russo-Ukrainian war is ongoing, making this a large political statement on the stance of the United States. It is important to note that the United States is actively going against its previous support for Ukraine by only meeting with Russia on this matter.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, Ukraine’s president stated that Kyiv would refuse to recognize any decisions made about the conflict and the country’s role in it without being a part of the conversation. In response to this, Trump reinforced his stance that the war and its continuation was Ukraine’s fault, telling the BBC, “I hear that they’re upset about not having a seat, well, they’ve had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily.” The status of the Russo-Ukranian conflict and the U.S.’s new role in it remains unclear, but based on Trump and his administration’s actions in recent meetings, the tides of American support for Ukraine have certainly changed.