Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Next Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has been aptly said that the West must thread the needle in its response to Putin’s war of aggression. We must continue to give Ukraine the military, economic, humanitarian, and moral support they need to keep their country from being overwhelmed by Russian forces; Putin must be made to understand that he cannot succeed in conquering Ukraine. But because Putin has the capability of escalating the war by using nuclear weapons — for example wiping out Kiev with a single bomb or cluster of bombs –- he must be given concessions that will allow him to claim that Ukraine has been cleansed of fascists, that Russians in the Ukraine will be protected from discrimination; that all economic sanctions against Russia have been removed, and that peace, security, and dignity for Russia are now assured for generations to come. I think it would be prudent to be generous in making concessions to Putin in order bring this savage conflict to an end and lower the risk of a direct conflict between NATO nations and Russia, provided that any concessions the West makes must be accompanied by NATO’s ironclad commitment to defend Ukraine in the event of renewed Russian aggression, and this must be backed up by NATO’s clear demonstration of readiness to act.