When I first heard about the Russian invasion of Ukraine I felt a little scared but not too worried because I know that I live in the United States, the most powerful country in the world. After learning more about the invasion, I felt very bad for the people of Ukraine because they didn’t do anything wrong. I think that the US should put more strict punishments or sanctions on Russia and Putin. I will be sharing my opinion by talking about a no-fly zone, more sanctions, and how we need to be a more powerful country. 

          First of all, no-fly zones. This could end very badly if NATO enforces a no-fly zone. But in order to win a war, you're going to need control of the air. So there are definitely reasons why they should enforce one, but there are plenty of reasons as to why they should not enforce them. A no-fly zone restricts airspace and bans planes from flying over the area. In this case, it would stop Russian planes from flying over Ukraine. It would also stop Russian missiles which would be a big deal.  But Russia has said that if a no-fly zone does get enforced, they will consider that direct fighting and it could possibly cause a world war or a much bigger situation. Helen Ray, of CBS News said on March 28th, 2022  that NATO, as of now will “not be enforcing a no-fly zone.” Would this be a good idea? Maybe not, but maybe it will end up great and save a lot of lives and possibly end the war. I think they should enforce a no-fly zone because I do not think that Russia is going to do anything to the NATO countries. So therefore I believe that a no-fly zone is worth the risk.

  Second, I think the United States should put some more sanctions on Russia. What is a sanction? Sactions are a punnishment or penalties imposed on another country to stop it from breaking the law. There have been a lot of sanctions already imposed on the Russian economy. There have been flight bans, oil and gas imports will stop by the end of 2022, all Russian banks have had their assets frozen, and many companies have stopped dealing with Russia. There is really not a whole lot left to sanction, they have already tried everything. Obviously sanctions aren’t going to just make Russia pull out of Ukraine and stop the war. Over time though, sanctions could hurt the Russian economy more than you may think. I think they should put some tougher sanctions on Russia soon. They could target the people closest to Putin or they could even directly target Putin. They could hit the Russian stock markets a little bit harder, targeting the Moscow Exchange. There are many other sanctions they could put on Russia and I believe they should do everything they can without direct fighting to stop Russia. Direct fighting with Russian troops I would say, is the worst possible option and according to Joe Biden will not be happening. “We are not going to put american troops in danger.” Reports Paul LeBlanc from CNN on Febuary 28th, 2022. That will never happen and I agree with that. 

Lastly, the United States needs to just take more action and be more aggressive while being smart. There is all this conflict going around and the richest, most powerful country is just embarrassing themselves. We are over here worrying about stupid things while real problems are actually happening around the world. The leaders of our country are doing a horrible job. Somebody needs to take control. Covid is an example. It’s not going to go away so we’re just going to have to deal with it. That’s just an example. I think we need to show some of our power because all the other countries just think we’re a joke and don’t take us seriously. I think that we are handling this situation pretty well and being smart.

            I mentioned and gave my opinion on a few reasons why a no-fly zone should be a serious option, more sanctions are a must, and how the United States should show some power. Looking back at that first day when I heard about the invasion, I have learned a lot and my opinions have changed. I think that the United States is in control of this situation and they have the power. But I think that more punishments have to be put on Russia so war can end.