Vladimir Putin keeps insisting his eventual victory in the Ukraine war is “inevitable,” but Kyiv took more territory than Moscow in February and so far in March.
Not only is a Kremlin triumph far from assured, the quagmire in Europe is costing Russia big-time around the rest of the globe.
Putin couldn’t intervene to save his ally Bashar Assad from ouster in Syria last year, nor protect Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
The Castros’ rule of Cuba is teetering, and Iran’s regime is on the ropes.
Moscow’s given Tehran some intelligence help, but an Israeli strike just took out the main Russo-Iranian trade route across the Caspian Sea.
In other words, America and its allies are seeing a huge payoff from the Ukrainian’s resolute refusal to give up the fight.
And while Kyiv’s recent gains amount to “only” about 100 square miles liberated, the direction is encouraging — and Russia’s spring offensive was hamstrung before it could begin.
The first few days saw complete failure, with thousands of Russian troops killed without any real advance.
For well over a year now, Moscow’s paid a brutal price in casualties for every foot it advances: Turnover in frontline offensive units amounts to 100% replacement over the course of the year — that is, a 10,000-man division needs new10,000 recruits over 12 months to remain at full strength.
Losses include serious injury and desertion as well as death, but you see why Russia’s typical attacks are called “meat assaults.”
Of course, Vlad doesn’t care about Russian lives any more than he does Ukrainian ones.
So his other main tactic — drone and missile attacks on civilians far behind the lines — continues, with another huge barrage the other night.
But those war crimes haven’t gained him any more than the meat assaults have.
All of which means Kyiv is absolutely right to refuse to give up any territory in a ceasefire deal; why give Moscow what it’s been unable to take in four years of all-out fighting?
Peace is available whenever Putin finally admits that victory is completely out of sight, and that fighting on costs him at home and allows US forces to bring down the entire global axis of terror.
In the meantime, Ukraine fully deserves America’s continued support — not only as a moral imperative, but as a matter of basic US self-interest.
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