OPINION:
Current opinions on the war in the Ukraine appear to fall within two camps: those who seem paralyzed by the greatest existential threat to Europe since World War II and are prepared to stand by and let Ukraine take the brunt of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fury, and those who see Ukraine as the tip of the spear in the effort to stop Mr. Putin’s naked aggression.
Both positions have premises that make them untenable. The first reflects a moral failure and lack of nerve that 20th-century history has taught us will only serve as the overture to a Mahlerian maelstrom of pain and suffering. Mr. Putin will not stop at Ukraine. The U.S. and NATO must strengthen their resolve, stop taking Mr. Putin’s taunts and threats to heart and tell him in unequivocal terms what will happen if he escalates the nature of his atrocities. As one Ukrainian stated, “We are not just defending Ukraine, we are defending Europe [too].”
The second position suffers from a crippling either/or dichotomy — give Ukraine limited support to show “good faith,” or be “all in” with no-fly zones. Neither option will suffice. If Ukraine is the tip of the spear, that spear needs to be sharp enough and lethal enough to stop Russian aggression. Provide the Ukrainians the equipment they need, perhaps incrementally, but definitely much more quickly. Give them MiGs, missiles and stand-off weapons so they can most effectively meet the level of threat.
Only then will besieged and beleaguered cities be spared, and only then will Mr. Putin realize his folly. A vast host of dead innocents or a blunt spear does not do Ukraine — or the world, for that matter — any good.
PATRICK MCLAUGHLIN
Mentor, Ohio
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