From Dave Searles

Brodhead

To the Editor:

Russia now has a buildup of 80 percent of the troops it deems necessary to invade Ukraine and is continuing to bring in more troops.  

Putin wants Ukraine and he is not going to back down. There are three reasons for this: one, Putin’s ego; two, Putin and some Russians want to restore the Russian Empire and Ukraine is the next step in that goal and three, something that has been rarely mentioned, Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union like the Midwest and Canadian Prairie is the breadbasket of America.  

Putin’s defense and security excuse is bogus and if he actually believes that, then he is paranoid.  

We have an obligation to defend Ukraine. In exchange for Ukraine giving up Soviet nuclear weapons on Ukraine soil after the end of the Cold War, we promised Ukraine that we would defend it from Russia. If we give in again, as we did when Russia invaded Crimea, and again when Russian insurgents invaded eastern Ukraine, Putin will see this as a green light to go after the Baltic Republics next, followed by Poland, Moldavia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Where will it stop? Appeasement only delays the inevitable and inevitable is even worse. This is what led to World War II.  

Military strategists are saying if we do not stop Putin now, then World War III is inevitable. It also gives a green light to China to go after Taiwan.  

Although Finland and Sweden are officially neutral now, they are now considering applying for membership in NATO.