If you, like me, have been hearing a very consistent new wave of rhetoric amounting to “compromise for peace–the dying has to stop” regarding Ukraine then you should understand that this is direct Russian propaganda. The entire purpose of the message is to use feigned humanitarian concern to get you thinking past the sale. The sale is, “Russia takes more Ukrainian territory.” And the feigned humanitarian concern is a cudgel to beat anyone who disagrees via responses like, “How many more people are you going to make die?! And for what, some scrap of land?!”
This can be difficult to respond to because, OF COURSE, decent people don’t want more death, destruction, and suffering. It takes an awareness of history to understand that appeasement of expansionist dictators has never led to lasting peace. The only chance for sustained peace and stability is to ensure that this war ends with Russia unconditionally leaving Ukrainian territory–which Russia can do unilaterally. And international pressure should be entirely on Russia to do so without compromise.
Otherwise we’ll be right back here when Russia takes yet another territory in a few years. Like they took Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014. Appeasement didn’t work in 1938, it didn’t work in 2008, it didn’t work in 2014. It won’t work in 2025. But Russian propaganda is blasting out, “Peace for our time” and millions of Americans are parroting it.