CASEY HUBER
Special to The Leader
Are we on the brink of World War III?
“I would like to hope not,” junior Cole Thompson said.
“I would really like to say that we’re not, but it’s very hard to tell right now. It’s very worrying,” sophomore Justine Bloom said.
The severity of the situation in Ukraine cannot be understated. The delicate balance of Europe is in flux right now, and SUNY Fredonia is reacting to it.
“It’s super scary,” Fredonia alumni Kristen Neckers said.
“It’s definitely shocking to see the Ukrainians using molotov cocktails. They’re definitely trying to push back Russia,” senior Ryan Williams said.
Some believe that the U.S. government has a responsibility to assist Ukraine, but the means by which the U.S. would do so varied.
“I think we need to move beyond taking financial sanctions against Russia at this point. We need to let the Russian government know that this is not okay. At some point we need to start offering some arms support,” Neckers said.
“I agree with what the news stations are saying, which is that Ukraine doesn’t want our help at all. They say ‘we need ammunition, not help’ which I think is great for them,” Williams said.
“I wouldn’t like to see any of my brothers or sisters fighting overseas, so let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Thompson said.
“The U.S. government should be a strong and vocal supporter of Ukraine. We need to put our foot down about this sort of stuff, otherwise we are just letting it happen,” Bloom said.
“The people of Ukraine have a much younger democracy than us, and I feel like their freedoms have obviously been taken away. My heart breaks for the people of Ukraine who are living this nightmare,” Neckers said.
Do you believe that Ukraine should be allowed to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
“Absolutely, if they want to, I believe that they should be allowed to join,” Neckers said.
“I don’t know the finer details, but yes. I think NATO support would be very helpful,” Bloom said.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has threatened nuclear retaliation if Ukraine joins NATO, according to Ukrainian news source Ukrinform.
He has also threatened invasion of Finland and Sweden if they were to join NATO, according to The Hill.
Of those interviewed, many believe that Putin is the instigator.
“100% Putin is at fault. I don’t know why any other country would decide to pick a fight with Russia without Russia starting it first,” Bloom said.
“From what I’ve heard, the people of both countries are not siding with the war. I think it’s a battle between leaders,” Thompson said.
Students have been reacting to the situation with bated breath.
“It’s very strange to just have to go to class while this is going on,” Bloom said.
Stay tuned to The Leader for an in-depth analysis of how we got here.