NY Post Editorial Board: The Increasingly Murky Prospect of an End to Putin’s Ukraine War

How will the Ukraine war end?

This question is a key issue in smaller disputes over Western aid for the brave Ukrainian troops. Bringing it into tighter focus is Vladimir Putin’s decision to pass the winter with ever-more-brutal strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilian targets — such as last Saturday’s murderous missile attack on a Dnipro apartment buildingThe accident claimed the lives of six children and many others. 

Putin’s invasion must fail. Anything else represents a serious blow to US interests in Europe, to NATO’s stability and to the larger world order. Atop all Moscow’s brutality, the war on Ukraine is as much an attack on that order as it is a territorial gambit. 

Washington is mired in a game of escalation that’s lethargic, confused — and Reactive. Yes, we’ve sent Ukraine lots of help — including lethal aid — but only after Putin upped his violence first. Even the US “escalations” Are hesitant. For example, our meager Patriot air defense system is not enough to protect the country from all the dangers President Joe Biden has claimed to be concerned about. However, it does have some benefits. The Ukraine requires more Patriots in order to be effective.

We’ve also kiboshed MiG transfers from regional allies, balked at sending tanks and said no to more advanced tactical missile systems that would greatly increase Ukrainian range — all on the Theory Russia is helping Ukraine strike inside Russia may Putin should go nuclear.

It is because he and other high-ranking Russians keep making this threat. Works to stop the West doing more. 

Yet it’s plain that more is required to force Putin to end the war. At the moment, a military defeat seems like the only way to secure freedom and security in Ukraine. A negotiated settlement seems off the table, as the Kremlin’s demands remain “let us win.”

Putin’s insane territorial claims would almost certainly exceed anything Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might agree to, while Zelensky and his government want Everything back, including Crimea. Even if the West threatens that it will end its support for Ukraine’s blackmailing into bad deals, Putin’s record shows he’ll break it at his own convenience.

A mild winter (so far) has aided the Ukrainians’ resistance. And the Russian army’s deep-rooted logistical and personnel issues bode ill for Putin’s rumored coming massive troop callup.

Putin clearly intends to win by outlasting his opponents. He is betting as much on Western might as on any battlefield victory. By holding firm, Ukraine and its allies will be able to defeat this approach.

However, the ultimate victory depends on a strategy by the United States that places Ukraine on the front foot and allows it to forcefully negotiate. Russia Not to give up.