Current developments have brought the relationship between Russia and the United States into light, especially since President Donald Trump seeks to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin has affirmed that the diplomatic relations between the two countries have been restored, leaving many to wonder what this means, specifically for America.
Before they met in person, they had a telephone conversation about the war in Ukraine, energy issues and artificial intelligence. Following the end of the call, Trump announced the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met on the third anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion to talk about the war with Ukraine and Russia. According to NPR, Emmanuel Macron asked Trump not to abandon Ukraine as he discusses a Peace Agreement with Putin.
Many students from GCSU are worried about what this would mean for our country in the future and how it would affect them.
“The amount of money transferred to war efforts in Ukraine has been exorbitant, despite the influence on human rights advocacy it has had for the U.S.,” said Kate Jenkins, a senior Economics and Political Science Major. “I think President Trump owes the American people an explanation of what the goal of entering the war in Ukraine was for the U.S.”
Trump and Putin met on Feb. 16, 2025 in Saudi Arabia where they discussed key issues including: military security, trade relations and cyber threats. Although some of the specifics within the discussion between the two remain confidential to the public, the implications of this could have long-lasting effects on global politics.
Trump has expressed his ideas that improving relations with Russia could lead to a reduction in global tensions, which have been there in the years past. The tension has increased with the talk of nuclear arms control and international diplomacy.
“Putin expressed interest in meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump said that any such talks must be carefully planned to ensure a productive outcome,” said Barney Henderson from NewsWeek.
During their meeting, Trump and Putin discussed the potential for new arms control agreements and agreed to work together to avoid conflicts in the future, therefore this could lead to great global stability on nuclear power.
GCSU students have shared their thoughts on Trump and the nuclear arms control and how he’s planning on moving forward with that.
“We should be reenforcing our own country before another right now,” said CG Renner, a senior nursing major. “Economic forces between Russia and the U.S. have been declining so it’s good to be focused on the news arms control agreement.”
New arms control would be an international agreement between Russia and the United States that limits the production and usage of weapons, which will limit the risk of war and its destructiveness.
With this in discussion, Russia and the United States have already made the New START Treaty, a treaty that limits their arsenals of long-range nuclear weapons.
The New START Treaty is in place until February of next year, though Russian officials are saying they are not going to extend the treaty. In response, U.S. Democratic lawmakers have urged Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to collaborate with Congress to renew the New START nuclear weapons pact.