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Vladimir Putin has, at this point, all but invaded Ukraine. He’s ordered Russian troops into eastern parts of the country, and he now has the backing of his Parliament in Moscow. He’s recognized two pro-Russia separatist regions within Ukraine as legitimate governments. And he’s used a warped account of history to challenge Ukraine’s very right to exist.
In response to what President Joe Biden today called “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the United States and its NATO allies have implemented a first round of sanctions. Germany is also throttling Russian gas exports to Europe by halting certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Here’s how our Atlantic writers are assessing the moment.
- Putin is choosing a forever war. Tom Nichols reflects on the Russian president’s “simply unhinged” address yesterday: “Putin has now affirmed that he refuses to accept the outcome of the Cold War,” he writes.
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America is once again acting as Europe’s “big brother.” “After years of grumbling about American power, it took only the whiff of a threat from Moscow for Europe to recommit to the old order,” our staff writer Tom McTague argues from London.
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There are no Chamberlains in this story—but no Churchills either. Anne Applebaum reported from the Munich Security Conference, where attendees were so united in their condemnation of Putin that it created an almost cheerful atmosphere. But the Ukrainians who were present injected a “strong, steady, persistent note of dissonance.”
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Ukraine isn’t the only Russian incursion to watch. Belarus announced that 30,000 recently deployed Russian troops may stay in the country. An adviser to the Belarusian opposition leader told my colleague Yasmeen Serhan that, in Ukraine, “the state is opposing the occupation; in Belarus, it embraces it.”
The rest of the news in three sentences:
(1) A jury found the three men previously convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery guilty of hate crimes.
(2) The U.S. national women’s soccer team reached a $24 million settlement with U.S. Soccer in its equal-pay lawsuit.
(3) American home prices grew at their fastest rates in more than three decades in 2021, according to new data.
Tonight’s Atlantic-approved activity:
Commit to practicing one—or all—of these seven habits for building happiness as you get older.
A break from the news:
Why does the U.S. make it so hard to become a doctor?
Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.
