Update: Russian Aggression against Ukraine

The brave resistance of the Ukrainian people, their great leadership, as well as the training, arms and materiel and intelligence supplied by the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies have prevented a total conquest of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, at least for now. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer who wishes to reconstitute the Soviet Union and its sphere of influence, has had to abandon his attempt to take the Ukrainian capital and western Ukraine, focusing instead on conquering eastern Ukraine, after having already taken Crimea in 2014 and backing Russian separatists ever since. Russia’s invasion violates its treaty with Ukraine in which it recognized the former Soviet Republic’s independence, territorial integrity (including Crimea and eastern Ukraine) and self-determination, in exchange for Ukraine’s relinquishment of the Soviet nuclear missiles that had been on its soil. As expected, based on the Russian pattern in Chechnya, Syria and previously in Ukraine, Russia has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Russian aggression threatens other former Soviet Republics, as well as former Soviet satellite States, and even beyond. Russia had invaded the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2008, establish puppet governments in two breakaway provinces. It also maintains troops in a separatist part of Moldova, against that former Soviet Republic’s wishes. Aggression must be everywhere resisted, lest the peace and security of the world be threatened. The independence, sovereignty and self-determination of every state must be respected, which thereby safeguards American independence, sovereignty and self-determination.