On Nov. 5, everything changed —and yet, nothing changed. As Americans cast ballots in what many called the most consequential election of our time, Nov. 5 was predictably horrifically marked by the death and devastation Russia brought to Ukraine — largely unseen, unheard, and unnoticed in the most powerful country on Earth.
Moscow’s criminal war of aggression, coupled with nuclear blackmail, is a century-defining event — far more consequential than any U.S. political shifts. Make no mistake: it has already reshaped not only Europe but the entire world in ways we scarcely grasp.
The era of “long peace,” marked by unprecedented prosperity and stability, has ended — not only due to Russia’s revanchism, countless war crimes, and the alliances it’s drawn with North Korea and Iran, but also because the Free World allowed it to go unchecked for too long.
On Nov. 5, as Americans rushed to the polls, Russia bombed another peaceful city in Ukraine, as it does day after day. Six people were killed — a son, brother, wife, granddaughter. Another 23 were injured. Their “crime”? Being Ukrainian, rejecting Russian occupation, and daring to hope for basic freedoms we easily take for granted.
As Americans rushed to the polls, Russia bombed another peaceful city in Ukraine, as it does day after day.
More than a decade has passed since Russia first violated Ukraine’s sovereignty. The Free World’s broken promises and inadequate responses have steadily, perhaps irreparably, eroded the global security architecture. Yet, we look away, hoping for the best.
But hope is not a strategy, and half-measures will cost us far more than we can imagine.
Elections in America come every four years, but the true course of this century — for the U.S. and for humanity — hinges on what Neville Chamberlain once dismissed as “a quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing.”
This is not alarmism. Look at the trajectory: in 1999, Russia invaded Chechnya; in 2008, Georgia; in 2014, Crimea. When Russian forces took Crimea, we pretended to believe Vladimir Putin’s denials. Complacency and indecision fueled the aggression of tyrants.
When Russian tanks rolled over Ukraine’s borders en masse on Feb. 24, 2022, we had no right to be surprised. We should have done more to prevent it, and we have no right to believe this unprovoked war doesn’t affect us. Pretending otherwise is reckless. Ukraine is paying an immense price today, but we must stop taking its bravery for granted. If the Free World continues down this path, we, too, will soon be called to make ultimate sacrifices in defense of freedom.
Russia’s aggressive policies reflect a pattern Western capitals have failed to confront over the last two decades. In 2021, U.S. and European allies accounted for half of the global economy; Russia accounted for barely 2%. Russian military spending was $66 billion — hardly consequential when compared to NATO’s $1.2 trillion.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis puts it bluntly: “Putin is spending $140 billion while we struggle to promise fifty. We are basically sending him the message, ‘We won’t stop you,’ so he won’t stop. But if we allocated $800 billion, he would be forced to rethink. Yes, we could afford it. And yes, it would be cheaper than letting him carry on.”
While $800 billion may sound staggering, it’s nothing compared to the cost of complacency. If the Free World allows aggression to go unchallenged, we will enter a new era of insecurity — a world where wars of aggression are no longer taboo, and nuclear blackmail becomes the norm.
Current U.S. defense spending — around $1 trillion annually — is just 3.5% of GDP, a fraction of what it was during the Cold War, when defense budgets hovered near 10% of GDP for two decades. Over a similar timeframe, the costs of tripling defense expenditures would reach $40 trillion in the U.S. alone — a figure surpassing America’s national debt of $35 trillion.
Restraint in the face of blatant aggression isn’t wisdom — it’s a signal of weakness. The Kremlin interprets our hesitation as permission. The longer we dither, the more dangerous the world becomes.
Americans, regardless of politics, share a stake in stopping this cycle. This isn’t a partisan issue — it’s about standing up for a world where aggressors face consequences. The Free World must stand tall — not just for Ukraine, but for its own future.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.
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merch from the Kyiv Independent
