The current war in Ukraine has brought the US-Russian relationship to its lowest point in recent history. Russia’s actions against Ukraine have shown complete disregard for human rights, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the right of nations to decide their own future. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has clearly shown imperialist ambitions and would like nothing better than to annex Ukraine into Russian territory. Nevertheless, the war in Ukraine is not a new Cold War and the United States and its allies will be able to learn from the experience and be able to respond to Russian aggression in the future.

Both teams lost key players due to injury and illness. The United States and Canada were down to 19 skaters and one goaltender due to injury and virus positives, while Russia lost six players due to viral infections. While many of these players were injured or had to leave the game early, team members remained positive and sent messages of support to each other through group chat. In addition, the Russian team is competing under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee instead of the Russian national team, as Russia’s flag and name are banned from the Olympics due to doping disputes.

The United States and Russia have very little in common. Both countries have different political ideologies and both have tried to export their belief systems to other countries. However, they both view each other’s efforts with suspicion. The United States, for instance, helped rebuild Europe with its multi-billion dollar Marshall Plan, but the Soviets have condemned the effort as an attempt to suppress communist movements.