Opinion: Western aid isn’t prolonging the war in Ukraine. This is
LA TimesProtesters gather in Prague, Czech Republic, to protest Russia’s missile attack on Monday that killed at least 39 people in cities across Ukraine and struck a children’s hospital in Kyiv. We need diplomacy.” To Ukrainian ears, however, “diplomacy” sounds like a euphemism for “Ukraine surrendering and ceasing to exist.” Admittedly, an honest question underlies the refrain: Why can’t Ukraine seek peace with Russia? Until very recently, Ukraine was strictly banned from using the West’s weapons to attack military targets inside Russian territory, a red line that effectively tied Ukraine’s hands. Russia responded to the delay of aid from the U.S. by tripling its missile attacks on Ukraine’s electricity and heating infrastructure, exploiting Ukraine’s under-resourced air defense.