Putin has waged a war against women and children and cities. He has called for the erasure of an independent country in the heart of Europe. His armies have pillaged and raped their way through Ukrainian territory. They have been stopped only by Ukrainian courage, resourcefulness and superior tactics. The Ukrainians have been kept alive by US leadership and by enormous waves of financial and military aid from other democracies. They are fighting for a free Europe. If you do not think that is the case, ask the Latvians, the Estonians, the Poles, the Lithuanians, the Finns, the Swedes. Their concerted actions in support of Ukraine show exactly what is at stake. They understand what Russia has become — a criminal state led by a tyrant who will turn his attention to them if he has the chance.
Putin also has his malignant supporters in the US in MAGA and at Fox. If Ukraine can be preserved, those destructive forces here will also take a hit, and China, watching how a Russian fantasy to make an empire has caused it to self-destruct, may well think twice about invading Taiwan.
Ukraine deserves the support of any thinking person who believes in democracy and freedom.
