Five days into Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his courageous nation have already done more to transform the West's policy toward Russia than 30 years of post-Cold War summits, policy resets and showdowns with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian leader's defiance has inspired and shamed the United States and the European Union into going far further -- and far faster -- in turning Russia into a pariah state than it appeared they were ready to go. The Ukrainian President's heroism has also touched people across the world and set off a torrent of smaller gestures of support. Formula One and European football chiefs have stripped Russia of showpiece events. Russian ballet performances have been canceled in the UK. And some US states are pulling Russian-made vodka off the shelves. Stateside, 83% of Americans said they favored increased economic sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion, with just 17% opposed, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was released Monday found. The significant stiffening of the global front against Russia over the weekend followed increasingly fervent calls by Zelensky for help. European leaders reported that in a call with them last week, he had said he didn't know how long he or his country had left.
Few outsiders expected that Zelensky would morph into a leader to match this moment in his country's history. Under the most extreme circumstances, Zelensky is ironically displaying the very values -- including a staunch defense of democracy -- that would qualify Ukraine for membership in both the European Union and NATO, a path Putin tried to close off with his invasion. "They are one of us and we want them in," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with Euronews on Sunday, referring to Ukraine. He has become the rarest of leaders -- synonymous with the mood and character of his people at a pivotal moment in history while willing them to ever greater national efforts like British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II or George Washington during and after the American revolution. "This is not just Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is the beginning of a war against Europe, against European structures, against democracy, against basic human rights, against a global order of law, rules and peaceful coexistence." And Zelensky's extraordinary success so far is only making him a more valuable target for Russia. Moscow may reason that if he is captured or killed, Ukrainian morale and resistance could collapse. The evidence of the last few days, however, makes that a questionable proposition.