Of course it's a "war of aggression" and a "war of choice." The Russian dictator Putin has long had designs on the independent nation of Ukraine. He acted on those brutal instincts repeatedly this century and finally chose to engage in an illegal and immoral, full-scale invasion and occupation in 2022.
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was right to remind us of these truths yesterday at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was asked about Putin's most recent clumsy but dangerous claim that he is prepared to use nuclear weapons in certain scenarios. Stoltenberg said that there is little new about this" pattern of nuclear rhetoric" and that "it's not succeeding."
The NATO leader pointed out that Putin "has declared many red lines before and did nothing" when Ukraine sought to defend itself with the help of the West. Putin's nuclear threat was specifically tied to NATO member-countries supplying Kyiv with advanced weaponry. Stoltenberg cited M1 Abrams and Leopold 2 tank shipments to Ukraine as well as F-16s as two cases in point when "we've crossed Putin's red lines because we cannot accept Russia trying to seize control" of a nation that poses no actual threat to it.
The case could not be more clear. Putin is blatantly violating international law. He's been rightly branded a war criminal and cannot travel to most countries without being arrested. No decent person ever wants war, of course. And, yes, the business of arms shipments in distasteful - sometimes in the extreme. But international law also entitles nations under invasion and occupation to defend themselves, which is what Ukraine is doing with NATO's support.
Our united goals as a western alliance are equally clear: 1) continue helping Ukraine defend itself and repel the Russian invasion, 2) increase the costs to Russia of its unwarranted and illegal invasion, and 3) deter further Russian adventurism in the Baltic States and beyond. After all, the Baltics and other neighboring nations are NATO members. Any Russian attack would trigger NATO mutual-defense obligations and, in doing so, could result in a larger European war.
If Putin succeeds in fully or even largely occupying Ukraine and toppling the government, he will not stop there. Those in the United States and across NATO nations who coddle Putin and make excuses for his barbarism are working for Putin and against the interests of the U.S. and its allies.
.JPG)