In very few conflicts in history do the principles of "might is right" and the right of self-defense align so naturally and plainly.
Usually, as with the Soviet or American invasions of Afghanistan, a party of a conflict is the champion of only of these time-tested principles.
But in Ukraine the Russian Federation is both the stronger party and the party that is fighting a war of self-defense against NATO aggression.
Russia's morale remains high despite casualties and sanctions because it has both moral and security reasons to be on the ground in Ukraine. Russia's intervention is a matter of national security, not an imperial fantasy.
Putin didn't ask for this war. He has been adamant all along that he wants peace. He is not fighting out of egoic pride or delusions of grandeur. He even had to be pushed to fight. He's prosecuting this war like a lawyer instead of a warrior. Even now, years into the war, he's moving too slowly and methodically, which has led to needless Ukranian casualties.
So this is not a war of choice. This is a war that was literally brought to Russia's doorstep. Putin, as the doorman and the guard, had to act. It was his duty to do the bare minimum in Ukraine, which he did. Not doing so would have been an abdication of his responsibilities.
The invasion of Russia from Ukraine was never in the cards, because no European army exists currently for such a job, rather, the threat was directed at its political stability and internal security.
When Russia was invaded in the past it spat out the much greater armies under Napoleon and Hitler. Who is Zelensky and his pathetic overlords compared to them? Nothing. Just gutter trash.
If Ukraine evicted NATO it might actually have a chance of beating Russia. That's the irony of this whole war.
But, as it is, Ukraine remains a slave and a tool in the hands of thieves. So why make peace with them? Why now? No, take peace off the table. Go all the way to Kyiv and warn Warsaw to mind its business.
If NATO, the EU, and Washingdon continue to insist on turning Ukraine into their military playground and a launching pad for future operations against Russia then war it is and only war will settle this dispute.
Freezing the conflict or adhering to a ceasefire written up by that pompous ass in Washingdon would be foolish. All of Ukraine should be liberated, not just the Russian-speaking eastern half.
We must remember that Ukranians are hostages. Their government does not represent them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union they became international orphans who were brainwashed by a right-wing extremist ideology pumped out of Washingdon, much like the Afghans were in Pakistani refugee camps in the 1980s and 1990s.
Afghan orphans were taught to hate Westerners just as Ukranian orphans were taught to hate Russians. Instead of giving them an education and a future they trained them for war. And, even worse, they trained them to be proxies, to be hateful and unthinking, constantly reminding them of past traumas and past glory. Nazi radicals and Islamic radicals drink from the same poisonous well that Washingdon drilled for them.
Washingdon and NATO had a leg up on Russia on this crucial front. While Russia was licking its wounds in the 90s and 00s they were busy with cultural engineering in its spiritual homeland.
All war is culture war and that has never been more true than in Ukraine. The faster Russia takes Kyiv and implements a re-education of the country the better. Time is of the essence. It's a matter of national survival for both countries. The next generation of Ukranians must not be taught to hate.
Russia is winning the war on the ground, but the next war, the harder war, the war for the hearts and minds of Ukrainian society, must also be won for a lasting peace in that region to emerge unopposed.
