Attending this talk about the ongoing war in Ukraine as an undergraduate college student was very beneficial.   Although, there is still news coverage on the war and academic journals being publish on this issue, in my opinion, I sense that the general public seems to have lost sight of how this is an important and ongoing conflict.  This problem may apply more to teens and young adults who do not watch the news frequently, however, I believe that one should make a point to ensure that they are fully aware and knowledgeable of what is going on.  Luckily, because I am a political science major and taking this international relations course, which allows me to have opportunities such as Clark Forum presentations and in-class discussions to dive deep into the recent happenings.

From what I took away from the talk is that for a number of years now, the continuous war between Russia and Ukraine has been a serious problem in international relations. Tensions between the two countries have been at an all-time high ever since Russia took Crimea in 2014.  As the several speakers during this talk express that even before the war and especially now, numerous analysts have attempted to forecast the result of the battle, but the environment is still unstable and unpredictable.

There were a few key points that I can pin point to be significantly beneficial to understand and follow.  First, the speakers explained of what they believed what are going to be the most disastrous issues  faced by both countries.  It is absolutely problematic is that both Russia and Ukraine are now facing the problem of running out of ammunition and consequently must seek in creative ways to find solutions.  That raises the question as to how long they will be able to continue like this. However, when it comes to technologies being used to the war, one guest speaker stated that fortunately, Elon Musk is backing the Ukraine and supplying the country with thousands of dollars worth of technology to use during the warfare, giving them a slight advantage in that sense.

The participation of the European Union and its role is one important subject that might have a considerable impact on how the conflict develops as we discussed in class. Specially in the case for this war, Since the beginning of the crisis, the EU has taken part by putting economic sanctions on Russia and supporting Ukraine politically and financially. The EU’s power to end the crisis, though, is still constrained. One conclusion of the dispute might be the maintenance of the current situation, with intermittent outbursts of hostility and tension between the two countries. Since Russia currently possesses Crimea, it is improbable that it will pull back its troops from the area. Additionally, as a result of the fighting, pro-Russian forces now dominate breakaway territory in eastern Ukraine.  The EU’s role in the conflict is also uncertain. The EU has provided financial assistance to Ukraine, as well as political support in its efforts to resist Russian aggression. However, the EU’s ability to influence the conflict is limited as I already implied. The EU has imposed economic sanctions on Russia, but these have had only a limited impact on Russia’s behavior. Russia has also been able to exploit divisions within the EU, with some member states taking a softer line on Russia than others.