For more than eleven years, Ukraine has stood at the front line of a war that the free world tried to wish away. In 2014, Russia crept into Ukraine under the cover of “little green men,” pretending not to be at war. Europe was “concerned”; America and Canada condemned with strong words. And Ukraine went to war.
A decade later, there is no pretense. Russia is openly waging the largest European invasion since World War II—this time joined by a pack of fellow tyrannies: Iranian drones striking Ukrainian cities and civilians, North Korean troops in the European theatre, Chinese weapons and cash keeping the Kremlin’s war machine alive.
As Hanna Hopko, chair of the National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS and co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV), tells Euromaidan Press:
“If the West is unable to counter this growing threat, it will forfeit its position at the heart of the international security architecture and be replaced by the rising authoritarian powers.”
This war and the Alaska summit are no longer just about Ukraine, she says. They are a coordinated assault on the rules-based international order itself. Once again, if the West fails to act now, it will forfeit its position as the heart of global security—and the vacuum will be filled by the rising powers of authoritarianism.
The West has been here before—and failed. In 2014, Western leaders clung to the illusion of a diplomatic solution. Between then and 2022, Ukraine endured over 200 rounds of fruitless talks with Moscow. The reward for Ukraine’s patience? A full-scale invasion.
When Russian tanks rolled toward Kyiv, the world braced for Ukraine’s collapse. Some leaders advised Ukraine’s government to flee. Others suggested that Ukraine surrender. “But instead of collapsing, Ukraine stunned the world by standing and fighting back,” Hanna Hopko reminds. The myth of Russian invincibility was shattered.
“The world needs to understand something essential – Ukrainians never surrender. Not when our homes are destroyed, not when our people are taken. That’s why we need our partners to stand with us now — to help us finish this fight and finally end,” says Hopko emphatically.
A journalist who once asked Trump, “Can you convince Putin to stop bombing?” Trump glanced at him and replied, “Probably not.”
Hopko strongly disagrees with Trump’s reply:
“The right answer should be clear – with America providing weapons, Europe holding the $190 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets, and Ukraine’s Operation “Spider Web” – we already have the tools to defeat Russia and end this war. What’s needed now is the courage to use them.”
And yet, instead of acting decisively to end Russian imperialism, the West risks walking into the same trap again—this time in Alaska.
The upcoming Trump–Putin summit in Anchorage, Alaska, is not a diplomatic breakthrough. It is a Kremlin-designed ambush. Behind closed doors, Putin will push for “peace” on his terms—territorial concessions for a pause in bombing—while Russia keeps striking Ukrainian cities and continuing its “ballistic terror”, avoids isolation, and prepares for its next offensive. A handshake in Alaska could mean a knife in the back for Ukraine, and for the international order that keeps smaller nations safe from predators.
If this meeting happens without a clear demand for Russia’s withdrawal, justice for war crimes, and full respect for international law, it will be nothing less than the normalization of conquest. It will tell the world’s dictators: invade, kill, deport, destroy—and you will still be rewarded with deals at the table. From the South China Sea to the Middle East, others will take note.
For Ukraine, any retreat from Donetsk or Luhansk is not “compromise”—it is a strategic disaster. It would give Russia a permanent launching pad for future attacks, just as the 1938 Munich Agreement gave Hitler the green light to devour Europe. History has already told the world where appeasement leads. The US, Europe, and the free world have no excuse to repeat it.
Hopko drives the message home:
“It would be nothing less than capitulation, giving Russia the freedom to strike further into Ukraine whenever it pleases. In essence, it would be a “Munich agreement.”
But there will be no new Munich. Ukraine will not bow to the demands of revived imperialists dreaming of a new division of the world. Any unilateral actions or divisions, especially by major powers, could unravel decades of collective security.”
That is why the message from Ukraine is unshakable: Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine – underlines Hopko. No secret deals. No concessions carved up in distant rooms by men who will never see Ukraine’s bombed-out schools or mass graves.
And people around the world understand this. From Helsinki to Oslo, from Prague to Warsaw, Munich, Stuttgart, and Sydney, crowds are rallying under one clear banner: DON’T SELL OUT UKRAINE!
Vlada Dumenko of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV) tells Euromaidan Press the following:
“Ahead of the US president’s meeting with war criminal Putin, we call for no new “Munichs”! Any future peace agreement must comply with international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition of changing borders by force.”
As the Alaska summit approaches, leaders must decide which side of history they will take, say both activists. Will they defend the principles of sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity—or will they trade them away for the illusion of peace?
The world still has the tools to stop Russia. America can supply the weapons. Europe holds $190 billion in frozen Russian assets. Ukraine’s defenders are on the front lines. What is needed now is not “understanding” with Moscow—it is courage.
The last century, with World War II, taught the free world the cost of appeasement in blood and millions of dead and/or enslaved. This century must not relearn it the hard way.
“Today’s leaders must remember that history judges not just intentions, but consequences,” concludes Hanna Hopko.