To prevent wars from spiraling out of control, an off-ramp is essential. Allowing Vladimir Putin to save face can save lives.

Russia’s unwarranted aggression toward Ukraine has not only shattered the peace of Europe and unleashed a torrent of economic and physical destruction, but it has also thrown into stark relief the moral chasm between Russia and its rivals. As Putin dismembers Ukraine, he shows the importance and value of America’s empire of nations.

It is not a question of if, but when global unity will soften and former die-hard supporters of the Ukrainian cause will slink away. We should be realistic about that eventuality. If we are, we can ask about what kind of Ukraine, what kind of Europe, we want to see.

Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement to place his nation’s nuclear deterrent forces on a state of heightened alert invites those of us in the free world—and surely the United States—to revisit the just war assumptions that served as a deterrence during the Cold War.

This week Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spoke about neutrality but clearly sided with Vladimir Putin by repeating Russian propaganda.

The present need is to deter China and Russia. This is why a “cold war” and a “just war” response is necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is the greatest act of national aggression since Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait nearly 32 years ago.

Vladimir Putin has launched attacks across Ukraine, recognized parts of eastern Ukraine as independent, sent Russian “peacekeepers” deep into Ukraine either to digest yet another chunk of his neighbor or to fully absorb it, and unleashed a storm in Europe. Although they cannot be seen from Kyiv, there are faint traces of silver linings in these storm clouds.

Germany does not love her neighbor when she rejects Ukraine’s plea for defensive weapons.