Ukraine Leads the World
The brave resistance to Putin is an inspiration and lesson to the world.
By The Editorial Board
Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion isn’t going according to his script, and for that the world owes a great debt to the heroic people of that besieged country of 41 million. Their resistance against fearsome odds is an inspiration and has awakened the world to the menace of the Kremlin autocrat. Ukraine deserves more support to raise the costs of war for Mr. Putin with arms, the toughest sanctions, and global ostracism.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is proving to be the man for the moment as he rallies his country and the world to resist the invasion. “I need ammunition, not a ride,” Mr. Zelensky said, in a line for the ages, in response to a U.S. offer to help him leave Kyiv to escape a possible assassination. His leadership has put to shame the New York Times op-ed last week that ran under the headline, “The Comedian-Turned-President Is Seriously in Over His Head.” His pleas on behalf of Europe’s principles have helped to persuade European leaders that Ukraine’s fight is also theirs.
The state of the battlefield is confusing as always in war, but the main news so far is the success of the Ukrainian resistance. Russia still doesn’t appear to control a major city, and on Sunday Ukrainian forces repelled an attempt to take Kharkiv, the second-largest city. This operation was supposed to be a quick Russian march to Kyiv followed by a frightened surrender and the installation of a puppet government. Most Western analysts predicted the same.
They underestimated the tenacity of Ukrainians. The sight on TV and social media of Ukrainian civilians preparing to defend their cities is something to behold. Men with desk jobs are grabbing rifles, and teachers are making Molotov cocktails. This is a lesson in the price of freedom that ought to instruct Westerners offended by “microaggressions.” Real aggression is a tank rolling down your street ...
