Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only unprovoked, catastrophic, and criminal.

It is also irrational.

It is spreading destruction, creating a huge wave of refugees, and is opening the path for the bankruptcy of Russia, which cannot expect any great gain.

Eastern Ukraine was already under Russian control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski has accepted that his country will not become a member of NATO, and Moscow’s demands for the “denazification” of Ukraine were always a Russian propaganda ploy.

Why then all this bloodshed?

According to one interpretation, Putin thought that occupying Ukraine would be a cakewalk.

The heroic resistance of the Ukrainians and the forceful reaction of the West took him by surprise.

As a result, Putin is regrouping Russian forces on the ground after 38 days of war and making desperate moves, such as demanding that “unfriendly countries” pay for Russian natural gas in roubles.

While Putin seeks to divide Europe, he is instead intensifying his isolation.

This irrationality must stop, and it must end with a decisive defeat of the invader so that those who aspire to imitate him can learn their lesson as well.

Defeat does not mean being crushed, nor does it necessarily mean regime change.

What it does mean is that recognition of the fact that treaties, borders, and national sovereignty are inviolable is absolutely imperative.

Western leaders have declared this in every possible manner, and they must confirm it once again, categorically and in unison.

They must send more aid to Kyiv. They must impose even stricter sanctions on Moscow. They must demonstrate to the megalomaniacal ruler in the Kremlin that continuing this war will only bring destruction upon his country and himself.

What is at stake is not only the status of a democratic state. It is also the security of democratic Europe.

There can be no turning back.

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