West needs to start supporting Ukraine to win the war against Russia for the sake of the world

Putin will not stop unless he is forced to. It’s time to change the way we think about nuclear deterrence, and commit to securing victory

Russian president Vladimir Putin is willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands more Russian soldiers and prepared to destroy villages and towns in Ukraine, turning them into rubble if it means capturing more territory. Picture: Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik via AP

The Western strategy towards supporting Ukraine is dominated by concerns about potential nuclear escalation and the possibility Russia’s invasion could trigger a third world war. It is clear no democratic state, including Ukraine, wants to see such an outcome. 

However, over-cautious preventive measures that allow Russia to prevail in its aggression could themselves become escalatory. Excessive apprehension may inadvertently provoke the very outcome the West seeks to avoid.