Ukraine has never sought membership in NATO. It seems obvious part of a peace agreement with Russia to end this hideous war is a guarantee Ukraine will never belong to NATO. That may be a good idea or perhaps a bad idea. It lets The West off the hook for scrambling forces to invade Russia.
NATO is an alliance and it is safe to say it is also a deterrent to Vladimir Putin's ambitions.
President Zelenskyy is, by far, the bravest leader I have ever witnessed in his ability to function clear minded to the threats by Russia. I believe his leadership is unmatched. In that is a clear understanding that he has the capability to use his military with great efficiency. It is also obvious he is a man of peace, seeking only an end to the shelling. His military has stopped the advance of the Russian military, except for the shelling.
The shelling could be stopped or at least stemmed with anti-aircraft missiles positioned at cities and more stinger missiles for the military's defense. There is also the Patriot Missile system to intercept the incoming missiles to Ukraine. Israel has used these systems with great success in stemmimg violence. It is needless to say Putin will not be providing these systems to Ukraine, so President Zelenskyy has only one place to turn and that is The West.
Russia will argue to any extreme that a peace agreement will never be breached and arming Ukraine completely unnecessary. Actions speak louder than words. The attacks on Ukraine were unprovoked. Vladimir Putin has proven himself completely unpredictable in restraining his hatred for Post-Soviet states. At this point, Putin is even demanding the return of Alaska. Amazing.
The method of attack was also abhorrent. Putin placed his troops into military exercises only to turn them into an invasion force unwittingly particpating until there was live return fire at their column of tanks.
The point is the strategy by Ukriane to MAINTAIN peace with Russia has proven to fail for the Ukrainian people. That is a measure NATO can admire. NATO wants nothing but peace for prosperous countries that are concerned with the quality of life for their citizens. Ukraine has the same love of peace. In seeking to PREVENT attack by appearing to be NO THREAT TO RUSSIA Ukraine was open for the violence PLANNED AND EXECUTIED BY VLADIMIR PUTIN. Putin recognizes no peaceful posture, but, only strength that if provoked can cause Russia great harm. NATO has that strength. Ukraine NEEDS the same strong posture now.
For all intentions, the Russian military has been defeated. The only method still open to Russia is seeking more missiles from China and reinforcements from Syria. That is not a successful invasion. By all rights, Russia needs to withdraw whatever soldiers remain on Ukraine soil. That is not being done, nor will Putin admit a Post Soviet country defeated his military with very minimal preparation for an attack, except, for a chronic civil war backed by Russia in the eastern border of Ukriane. Considering the defense measures carried out by the Ukriane military now, it is interesting that the civil war lasted as long as it has.
I want to point to that civil war in eastern Ukraine. Russia is threatening NATO that if it supplies war munitions to Ukraine it would be opening a greater war, HOWEVER, when it came to instigating a very long civil uprising in eastern Ukriane, Russia justifies every bit of it's support to the violence. Even in the face of a downed commercial jet and the death of hundreds of people, Russia never measured it's ability to kill at will by the rebels, realize remorse and withdraw support for such rebels. There was no reason for the rebels to stop their violence because no doubt they would stand trial. The rebels made the same mistake as Russia in that continued fighting would win the day. It didn't.
Countries that love freedom and democracy need to understand what Ukraine is facing. NATO or any other democracy is not willing to send soldiers to reinforce existing Ukraine military as Russia is doing with Syria and additional munitions from China. That is what I would call widening the current violence by Russia. Russia would have a legitimate complaint at that point. Ukraine has to be able to establish a defense of it's country that will sustain the current violence and END IT. Putin recognizes nothing else. Putin is always a brinkman. No matter the event and circumstance Putin is chronically threatening a great violence by Russia. I can't remember the day that never happened where Russia is an issue. US military simply accepts the threats as threats and moves forward to secure the USA's national security.
No country in the world is seeking a greater war with Ukriane's compromised profile as a reason. No one wants to invade Russia. It is wrong to withhold any and all the munitions President Zelenskyy requests. He is not asking for reinforcements, he is seeking adequate weapons that will result in the end of the Russian violence.
It is completely obvious Russia holds no love for Ukrainians. It has delivered missiles at will that kills civilians. That is a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions and probably several other international agreements and treaties. Ukraine's military posture has to change permanently today and going forward. Putin will never stop to seek to unite the Soviet Union until the day he dies and even then I am confident he will lay in state forever as Lenin. Ukraine must be strong enough to be enough of a threat to Russia to end this violence and prevent it in the future. There is no other option.
To think for one minute Ukraine has conducted a great defense and President Zelenskyy is a great leader, but, it's too bad that Russia will have more power to continue to make Ukraine a wasteland that will make living on the land impossible today and in the future. That is not a moral posture for any country. That is allowing Putin's brinkmanship to win the day and it is nothing but threat to achieve surrender.
The Ukraine people need a place to call their homeland. Western countries that see Ukrianians as a matter of giving them a home and not a homeland as refugees have not looked at this entire episode with Russia for the crimes that exists. Will the land be reluctantly returned after the World Court holds Putin responsible for his crimes? No. That won't happen. Russia will be isolated as a rouge country and their violence will live on as a great crime against humanity. That does not provide a homeland for the Ukrainian people.
President Zelenskyy is not asking for any other military to be involved to incur a greater war, he doesn't need any other military, he has a great one today. He needs the munitons that will require Russia to stop it's violence and then allow Ukraine to sustain it's mlitary posture to PREVENT any further aggression REGARDLESS of any promises Russia makes in a peace agreement. Need The West be reminded Minske I and II were complete failures as Russia and the rebels never, not one day, lived up to those agreements. Putin attended the meetings and agreed to the documents for a photo op for the folks that will vote for him. He did that for his propaganda campaign.
The West needs to realize Ukraine has held it's own against a once feared world power that has nuclear capacity. Ukraine is a country that wants peace. Unfortunately, when facing down Putin that means being strong enough to never allow him to THINK he could ever get away with this again.
Ukraine today has prevented a greater war by conducting this defense of itself. Ukraine needs the support of The West to sustain the homeland. The West needs to end the idea that Russia is a great and imposing power that Putin embraces for his propaganda. Allowing Putin dignity from this aggression and carnage is wrong and The West will be sorry they allowed it to stand.
By John Bacon, Katelyn Ferral, Tom Vanden Brook, Matthew Brown,Celina Tebor, Joey Garrison and Jorge L. Ortiz
Ukrainians must realize (click here) the country will not be joining NATO and must "count on ourselves and our partners who are helping us" to withstand the Russian onslaught, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.
Later in the day, the White House said President Joe Biden will travel to Brussels for a March 24 NATO summit on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations yielded a sliver of hope when Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said “there is certainly room for compromise.” However, the invading forces continued their bombardment of Kyiv while a siege of the port city of Mariupol prompted about 20,000 civilians to flee. Negotiations are expected to resume Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, speaking to representatives of the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force, said Ukraine has heard for years about "the allegedly open doors” of NATO but acknowledged his country will not be able to join. Instead, Ukraine needs separate security guarantees from its allies, he said....
