The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent shockwaves around the world. With war comes refugees: people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country.

Every country in the world is trying its level best to alleviate the pain of the refugees and shelter them. The United States is no exception to this aid and help for the refugees.

Refugees often have had to flee with little more than the clothes on their back, leaving behind homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones.

Ukraine, like other conflict zones, has not been an exception to the issue of refugees.

Until now, more than 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighboring nations like Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and even Russia. There are estimates that around two million people have been internally displaced within the country.

President Joe Biden, along with other western leaders, has announced tough sanctions on Russia for this unjustifiable invasion. They have frozen the foreign exchange reserves of the country and confiscated the assets of Russian oligarchs. This has led to a serious strain on the Russian economy.

America must lead from the front in providing all the necessary support that the Ukrainian people need. The American government just increased the aid funding to Ukraine with bipartisan support.

Even ordinary Americans can help both refugees who are coming into the United States and refugees in other countries. They can donate to various organizations like Global Giving, Direct Relief, Doctors without Borders, Save the Children and The International Rescue Committee.

One can also write to local representatives like city council members, town boards, state representatives and senators to ask what help they might need.

These steps might not completely diminish the pain the refugees have but it can help lessen their pain, giving them a sense of comfort and relief, as they are truly in need of help.

Every single country that is financially and socially capable of taking in refugees must take a pledge to take a substantial number of refugees. This step will at least solve the humanitarian aspect of the crisis.

The world along with the U.N. must establish a long-term fund for Ukraine to fund its infrastructure rebuilding projects and help inject capital into the banking system for sustainability. This will promote a sound financial infrastructure once the war is over.

The world must figure out a way to unite around crises and establish a new mechanism besides the U.N., where practically every country rallies around to support the victim. Unfortunately, even with this crisis, there is still not a global consensus to penalize the aggressor.

This will create a well-structured system where every country would know that they will be penalized if they take any inadvertent action.

America must act as the leader that it claims to be and fulfill the promise of a leader to usher the world into peace. This policy figures well for both America and the rest of the world.