End the Suffering
Bring peace to the Ukrainian people.
There is an end in sight. Now is the time for Ukraine and Russia to bring the loss of life to an end, to care for the wounded, bury the dead and welcome back the refugees. Neither NATO nor the United States can or should impose their “solution.”
We must oppose voices in this and other countries that call for retribution, for revenge, for punishing the aggressor. Reality simplified and laundered clean of nuance and ambivalence is not reality.
Given that the United States and Europe have achieved their primary objective, to show the cost of war to any aggressor that seeks to gain territory, influence, or advantage by violating the sovereignty of another, the only sane and humane goal now is to end the bloodshed.
Ukraine and Russia both have much to lose by continuing the war. There is no complete “victory” for either. Putin will remain in power. Ukraine may lose territory but remain a sovereign state. Some promises of neutrality may be essential.
In such a future, lessons can be learned from the war. It will be right and proper to take a long look at the strains on international cooperation and domestic wellbeing that encourage war and global suffering.
We must then turn to what should never be less than our primary focus: climate change, poverty, famine, social justice and a shared commitment to sustainable life on this planet.
I think it's possible that Putin's reign will be shaken by this war. He'll be replaced by another who may be better or worse but their situation will be a bit more dire. Russia's GDP isn't even top 10 and it's falling fast.
I have to say that Russia has had success stories vs the West but those seem to be evaporating. My representative in Congress however, is still a useful idiot gathering crowds and "informing" them. He calls Zelensky a thug and complains his government is corrupt in the context of the invasion. He claims Russia would wipe the US out in a conventional war. He openly incites insurrection and advocates a shooting civil war in the United States. He generally keeps to the talking points and continues to have nice things to say about the people who arranged his honey pot in Russia. It appears he's a shoo-in to win the next reelection here.