Citizens in Butler County have stood with Ukraine.

In 2022, the Butler Eagle chronicled the plights of two traumatized young families forced to flee their war-torn homeland with just one suitcase per family. We were chilled to learn that at first, although safe in Cranberry Township, they connected the fireflies lighting up the night sky with drones sent to bomb them or approaching enemy helicopters.

The community then raised more than $10,000 that was used to bring another young Ukrainian family here from Germany, where they fled after spending eight days in a basement when Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine began.

The families were stunned and grateful for the help from strangers a world away. In total six families sought refuge in Butler County.

We’ve heard the anguish and fear of other residents here as recently as March worrying about relatives still under fire. Phone calls interrupted as they scramble to seek shelter from bombs, losing electricity and heat.

It’s a personal connection to global tragedy.

That’s why President Donald Trump’s recent deal with Ukrainian is bittersweet. Sweet because it again connects our nations. It shows the U.S. is commitment to a relationship with Ukraine and promoting peace.

In the deal, yet to be approved by Ukraine’s parliament, the United State stands to benefit from its rare earth materials, which are needed to produce everything from cellphones to cars, and access to new oil and gas projects.

In exchange, Ukraine will have a reconstruction fund, established with money generated from investor and resource profits and direct payments from the U.S., to help rebuild the country. The deal will hopefully act as an incentive for businesses to invest in the war-torn nation.

The U.S. has also pledged additional equipment and military aid, including air defense systems.

But it is bitter because bombs are still dropping on families who have had to wonder about the United States’ stance. And Ukraine, an invaded nation that once gave up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security in 1994, is once again bargaining for its survival.

We look to our president and the U.S. to stand beside Ukraine. The residents of Butler County still are.

— DJS, JP