Vladimir Putin launched a largescale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. His stated motives in a rather strange television address range from the geopolitical to the quasi religious and will be picked over by scholars for decades to come. The western response to the invasion has been predictably scattered – some shock, strong words of condemnation, a rush to sanctions, disunity over the range of sanctions and well, that’s about the sum of it. Europe is facing its greatest crisis in decades and how this will unfold is anyone’s guess. What one feels is that an era of certainties has ended and western political leaders are fumbling to put together a coherent strategy.
As Ukraine enters the third day of war and battles valiantly to save itself, all we can do is express solidarity with its people and hope that the world does not abandon them.
