War the free world must not lose

Comparisons between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington on Wednesday to see Joe Biden and British prime minister Winston Churchill’s crucial 1941 visit to US president Franklin Roosevelt days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor are fitting. Deservedly described by Mr Biden as “the man of the year”, Mr Zelensky, like Mr Churchill 81 years ago, was seeking an assurance from the leader of the free world about ongoing support. He got it. Ukraine “will never stand alone”, Mr Biden told him, emphasising that the US – and hopefully its allies – would continue to help Ukrainians to defend their country “for as long as it takes” against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. Mr Zelensky and his people are engaged in a global struggle between democracy and totalitarianism. The battle goes far beyond Ukraine. It is a fight the free world must win.

Having provided Ukraine with more than $US20bn ($30bn) in military and other assistance, the Biden administration has proposed another $US45bn of emergency aid. It also will provide Ukraine, belatedly, with long-range missiles. And it will bolster Kyiv with the Patriot missile defence weapons it needs to combat the Russian assault from the skies targeted at civilians and electric-power sites. That should have happened months ago but it is an important development as the Russian tyrant reportedly musters another 200,000 soldiers for a fresh offensive aimed at taking Kyiv. It is imperative the rest of the democratic world follows Washington’s example and stands firm in its commitment to supply Mr Zelensky with what he needs. Doing otherwise would be unthinkable given what is at stake.

It is only 10 months since the war began with Mr Putin’s assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty. But the horrifying toll it is taking and the inhumanity of the onslaught make it seem much longer. New figures disclosed by top US soldier General Mark Milley suggest 100,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed so far. About 40,000 civilians, including many women and children, have died or have been injured, mostly as victims of Russia’s indiscriminate, Aleppo-style bombardment of residential buildings, hospitals and daycare centres in gross contravention of the Geneva Conventions.

At least 15 million Ukrainians, or possibly double that number, have fled their homes since the assault began on February 24. Most have fled internally, some several times. At least eight million have fled across Europe, leaving behind countrymen who are suffering under Mr Putin’s weaponisation of the northern winter to destroy power supplies Ukrainians rely on in freezing temperatures. A grave by-product of the crisis is that Ukraine, long a leading grain exporter, has had its supplies dislocated. Last year it provided food for about 400 million people in developing countries. Ten months after the invasion, millions are hungry as a result of the disruption. Millions of people across the world, especially in Europe, are suffering acute shortages of the fuel needed to generate power supplies and the consequences of soaring inflation arising from the effects of the war. Russia’s own economy is in tatters as it takes its place as a global pariah.

As Mr Putin seeks to recreate the former Soviet empire, he is destined to take his place alongside Joseph Stalin as one of Russia’s most ruthless mass killers, driven by evil that transcends even the plight of Ukrainians. At this stage the world faces the prospect of a protracted war extending well into next year, with many more deaths and more destruction wrought by hundreds of suicide drones supplied by Mr Putin’s top military backer, Iran. Strengthening of that alliance is a sinister by-product of the war that has potential long-term consequences. And overshadowing the crisis is the fear that with his campaign faltering, Mr Putin will resort to nuclear weapons. When Mr Biden met Mr Putin in 2011 he concluded the Russian “does not have a soul”. Nor a conscience, judging by the relentless savagery he has unleashed. The fastest way to bring an end to the atrocities is for the free world to provide Kyiv with the weapons and other means it needs to win the war as soon as possible.