Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night to a blaring alarm from your phone telling you that your home is being attacked by missiles. For the U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink and millions of Ukrainians, this isn’t in their imagination, but a reality. When Russia launched their full-scale invasion into Ukraine on February 22, 2022, Ukrainians’ lives changed forever.
EGR Alumnus Bridget Brink was nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine on April 25, 2022, making her the first female ambassador to a country currently at war. Brink visited the high school in October to receive an Alumni award from EGRSF and stopped by the High School to discuss the war in Ukraine. Her position in Ukraine is very unique compared to other U.S. Ambassadors, because while she does live in Kyiv, Ukraine, her day-to-day life is often sporadic and less reliable in comparison to other ambassadors. This is not only because of the missile and airstrikes that occur in Kyiv daily, but also because of the implication of where Russia is targeting those missiles to control their ability to export goods, Brink explained.
“The economic aspect, which includes Russian [missile] attacks on the energy grid is an attempt to take out the power, the heat, and the lights, and the water for millions of people, as well as Russian efforts to choke off Ukraine’s ability to export,” Ambassador Brink said.
Despite Russia’s attempts to cut off Ukraine from the rest of the world, Ukrainians have made a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea that allows them to ship their cargo and neutral shipping to countries around the world without Russia’s interference. The U.S. and NATO’s economic support of Ukraine is still crucial, but as Ambassador Brink said, the political aspect is what’s most concerning.
If Russia is successful in taking over Ukraine, it will affect politics not only in the U.S. but around the world. She added that the U.S. and potentially other NATO partners would have to get involved if Putin is successful in gaining control of Ukraine.
“If he is seen to be successful, it is going to send a terrible signal to those countries, which politically means it will be both harder for us to stabilize that situation, but potentially other parts of the world,” Ambassador Brink said.
So while this war may seem to be far off, its outcome will have a direct impact on not only the U.S. but the world.
“Why you should care about Ukraine? I’d say it’s pretty simple. If you’re a business and a business that has representation in other parts of the world, ensuring that your ability to support your business and work requires a rules-based order.” Ambassador Brink said.
If Putin is successful, it would make stabilizing the situation much more difficult and expensive for the U.S. and other NATO partners.
“Ultimately, Putin’s quest to take Ukraine, essentially, undermines all of the rules of support for the territorial integrity of states [and] has profound and negative implications for our security and our prosperity,” Ambassador Brink said.
