If you read nothing else about the horrors of Ukraine, read that AP story. And look hard at the pictures.
President Zelensky gave this speech today before the US Congress:
Former State Department official and current congressman Tom Malinowski had this to say about that, which I totally agree with:
I think NATO and the west are quite happy for them to do this. It’s useful for them as well as Ukraine. It gives them the excuse they need domestically to take in refugees and pour vast sums of money into military and humanitarian aid. It also gives them a rationale for shoring up their eastern borders.
Zelensky understands that a no-fly zone requires that American and other NATO air forces take out air defenses on the ground in Ukraine and in Russia in order to make it work. If that happens there is every reason to believe Russia considers it an act of war and the risk of nuclear engagement suddenly grows exponentially. Ukraine will be ground zero if that happens. But making the plea on a daily basis is a way of pushing hard for everything else and I’m quite sure everyone involved is on the same page.
This situation is insanely tragic as you can see from that AP report. There are no easy answers. But so far, I think the west has risen to the occasion, which includes not succumbing to the emotional need to “do something” when the risks of global catastrophe are so high. We just have to continue to get them everything they need materially, stay unified and hope that Putin realizes that he’s made a huge strategic error and finds a way to withdraw.