For nearly 25 years we have been kicking can down the road, trying to contain Putin's imperialism with dialogue and diplomacy while he continues to ignore borders and flatten cities. 🧵👇
In 2014, Russia's first attack against Ukraine was paused by the Minsk agreements, but the underlying issues were left for another day. Russia became tomorrow's problem. 🧵
Tomorrow always comes. The problem of Russia's imperialism didn't disappear in 2014, and to most eastern flankers it was clear that the next phase of the invasion would be costlier and deadlier. And so it was. 🧵
When Russia attacked again, the war suddenly became today’s problem. Again we think we can solve it by making it tomorrow’s problem. 🧵
But the premise has not changed. Russia’s imperialist revanchist ambitions will remain. The next phase would be directed not just against Ukraine, Georgia or Moldova but possibly against NATO. The price, human and economic, will only go up. 🧵
We could wait for what I have called the “Pearl Harbor effect”, a moment in history when the problems of tomorrow finally become the problems of today, but at an enormously inflated price. Or we could treat this as today’s problem and start solving it today. 🧵
We are on the verge of repeating historic mistakes. I am convinced that if we won’t defeat Russia now, that means our chosen path is to suffer unimaginable and unnecessary losses before we eventually decide it’s time to step up and win. /🧵
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