Ukraine has suffered over 10000 civilian and tens of thousands of military deaths since the Russian invasion a year and a half ago. The Ukrainian people have shown remarkable resolve and bravery in the face of completely unprovoked, unjustified attack by Russian forces. Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky has been a remarkably inspiring figure through all of this. Among other things, Russia has used a destroyed dam as another ecological weapon against Ukraine.
Plainly, simply put, the global community must help Ukraine beat Russia as soon and as decisively as possible. There has already been considerable support – which has helped facilitate Ukrainian victories on the battlefield and to pursue their counteroffensive. There needs to be more – from many countries around the world. But America needs to continue and expand upon its leadership role. There are those in Congress who say that America should not write a “blank check” to Ukraine. While there is a point here about financial responsibility, this logic is naive to the world we find ourselves in.
There is no doubt that Putin will not stop until he is forced to do so – through a combination of the destruction of the Russian economy, the battlefield defeat of Russian forces, the widespread dissolution of the Russian military and the escalation of public dissent within Russia, and possibly, his own fall from power. He cannot be negotiated with if he still intends to hold onto Ukrainian territory and frankly, if he remains in power after the dust settles, he continues to be a global threat. If and when the dust settles and Ukraine emerges victorious, Putin and his closest military commanders need to be held accountable. There is no doubt that if he “succeeds” in Ukraine, he will pursue other operations in other former Soviet states and the security of other democracies will be imperiled. Months ago, there were reports of a Russian warship with a hypersonic missile aboard in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There is every reason to believe that hesitation in support and financing Ukraine’s war efforts now will escalate the long-term cost of the conflict and the risk to the rest of the world.
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