We're trying everything to avoid WWIII, acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine says

[Lonestarblue]

2. Putin illegally invaded Ukraine, and he is committing war crimes every day targeting civilians.

No one wants WWWIII, but if Putin refuses to remove troops from Ukraine there may be no choice. Given Putin’s relentless actions against Ukraine, putting down their weapons be dangerous because Putin is likely to retaliate for the Ukrainians embarrassing his army in front the world by executing every man still standing and possibly the women and children too. Putin doesn’t care what the world thinks, and he appears not to care what his own citizens think of him.

The question that Western leaders should be considering now is whether it is better to be provoked into war with Putin now while his military seems in disarray or allow him to occupy Ukraine and then regroup by making his military stronger and watch as he attacks the next countries he demands become part of his new Soviet Union. The Baltic countries are already nervous about that. It would seem better to take on Putin now. He will obviously not back down, but he doesn’t have the strongest position at the moment and moat of the world wants him stopped. Delaying the fight could make it far worse in a couple of years.