The invasion of Ukraine by Putin on February 24th was a brazen power grab.
Putin decided that having Ukraine under his thumb would tell the world, ‘Russia will take the space it needs to feel comfortable.’
To provide some justification for such action, he invented the notion that NATO had seduced Ukraine into joining the West and so encroach upon him.
He ignored the Ukrainian sentiment to not be under the Russian boot.
Putin was expecting Ukraine to not resist his invasion and instead welcome him with open arms – that Ukrainians would bend a knee in honor of his majesty from Moscow.
But Ukrainians put up the fiercest fight of any country against an invader since WWII. Thousands have died and much of the country has been destroyed as they hold fast in defense of their sovereignty.
The West was surprised by the show of courage but has committed to supporting their effort.
And an angry and humiliated Putin has increased his aggression, bombing Ukraine wantonly, and sending ever greater numbers of soldiers to the battlefront.
The West has responded with economic sanctions which have slowed Russia’s economy.
But Russia has countered with restrictions on their sale of gas and oil to Europe on which the continent had become dependent and so affected their productivity.
Still, Europe has been able to deal with the loss by getting LNG (liquefied natural gas) from America and some of the oil and gas producers from the Arabian Gulf.
Russia has fought back on the sanctions by selling their oil and gas at lower prices to clients like China and India.
Meanwhile, China and Iran have provided weapons to Russia, making them outright partners in the war.
While the battle continues to rage on Ukrainian soil, the contending parties are now at a relative standstill. But this will not last for long.
Ukraine keeps asking for more weapons from the West and this has created rifts in the alliance, with some nations showing signs of support fatigue.
If the West doesn’t keep up shipments of armaments to Ukraine, then Russia will have the edge and conquer the country.
But what has Ukraine done for us?
They have awakened us to the reality of a new power balance in the world. Russia and China, who both have totalitarian regimes, want to dominate the world. They want to spread their version of government as far and wide as they possibly can. In their doing so they will attempt to control markets to support their systems.
We cannot let them do that.
At stake is the preservation of human beings’ freedom.
So Ukraine has become the battleground for a new power balance in our world.
Push back Russia to behind its borders with Ukraine and we will be sending a clear signal that our system of government will not be subverted.
Lose in Ukraine and the signal we send will be that we lack the determination to defend any country where an outsider steps in to control it.
But to win in Ukraine we need a greater effort than we have made so far.
To win, we must treat Ukraine as if it is already one of our own.
Ukrainians have fought with enormous courage and that alone should grant them that status. NATO membership procedures need to be modified to give them immediate access.
They would still have to make some governmental structural changes for full membership, but access to the protection against an invader should be given solely on the merits of the courage they have shown.
Turkiye should not be allowed to become an obstacle to such inclusion. Nor should Hungary. Already Turkiye is playing both sides in the conflict. They help Ukraine and Russia. And they have not agreed to join with the rest of NATO nations in sanctions against Russia.
Turkiye has even objected to Sweden’s and Finland’s applications to join NATO unless they allow for the extradition of members of a Kurdish party that is opposed to the present president of Turkiye, a well known autocrat.
Through their enormous courage, Ukraine has become one of our own and should be treated as such.
For those concerned that some of the funds sent to them may be misused, there are remedies for that. But weapons should continue to be provided.
Ukraine and the West must win this war. The conflict should not be allowed to go on and on.
Up until now, Putin has been firing missiles unto Ukraine from inside of Russia which have been responsible for enormous losses in lives and infrastructure.
And yet, we have been reluctant to give Ukrainians the missiles they need to fire back.
Would that be an escalation? Yes.
But it must be done. Step up to Putin and tell him, ‘Either you stop firing the missiles unto Ukraine or we will enable them to do so in return. Your choice’.
Doing this will save thousands of lives.
And it will mark our full commitment to the task of defeating Putin in Ukraine.
To those who think that doing this will push Putin to use his nuclear weapons, I say, Russia will not do so because it will risk a nuclear war.
And China would be the first to remind Putin that if he were to fire such weapons, they too would become a target of the West because they have been a known accomplice of his.
We must act now.
No peace talks should begin unless Putin agrees to withdraw completely from Ukraine. Including from Crimea.
President Biden should more actively speak about the importance of winning this war to all Americans. There is an urgent need to make sacrifices for Ukraine.
And it is for us to lead the effort.
Oscar Valdes 