The West has shown surprising resolve in sanctioning Russia.
Ukrainians are fighting bravely for their land.
Protests against Putin are mounting worldwide.
The sight of a superior army attempting to trample over a smaller nation has raised the ire of humanity. It is the big bully murdering people with impunity. Soldiers and civilians alike.
And still he marches on, unrepentant, completely sure of himself, thirsty for even more blood.
He will not stop until Russia controls all of Ukraine, no matter what the cost in lives.
A man like him cannot live with defeat.
He has consented to talks with Ukraine in neighboring Belarus for the sake of appearances, but he will not cede ground and instead demand complete acceptance of his terms.
He lies constantly and apparently believes his lies too.
The West should not relent in the pressure it is applying on him.
Ukraine should make no concessions whatsoever.
Putin invented the reasons for this war and will have to pay for the blood he’s spilled.
The West should up the sanctions all the way, applying them in the energy sector by stopping the purchase of Russian oil and gas.
There is a good chance that, with the heroic resolve of the Ukrainian people and the assistance from the West, Putin will be pushed back and defeated.
Anything short of the complete victory he had in mind would be a political defeat for him, with repercussions of consequence at home.
Russia under Putin needs to be isolated.
There is the strong possibility that the Russian people will awaken from their stupor to realize the folly of being led by a man who is obsessed with amassing personal power. A man who, for the sake of his aggrandizement, does not hesitate to kill innocent people, whether Ukrainian or Russian.
He has been able to manipulate the Russian media to suit his ends but gradually the truth will surface and the Russian people will react.
But the West needs to keep up the pressure and increase it.
Cutting off purchases of Russian oil and gas would do so.
It will cost us too but the West has today a great opportunity to change the balance of power in the world.
With relentless pressure in the battlefield and in the markets, it could well be that Ukraine will become the graveyard of Putin’s dreams of grandeur.
Russia deserves far better than what Putin has delivered.
Fight on!
Oscar Valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts.
