Michael Mangold

Putin didn't invade Ukraine because of NATO. He invaded because Ukrainians were proving democracy works. Historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum puts it plainly: Putin looked at Ukraine's democratic movement and thought, "If they can do it in Ukraine, then people could do it in Russia. So I need to crush this." That's the real threat Ukraine posed. Not missiles. Not borders. A working democracy next door. Applebaum frames the war as a fault line between the democratic and autocratic worlds. Russia isn't just trying to take territory. It's trying to erase Ukraine as a nation, reduce it to a colony, and send a message to every country that the post-1945 rules of Europe no longer apply. Those rules were simple: no invasions, no wars, borders don't change by force. Russia understood exactly what it was breaking when it crossed into Ukraine.

⚡️ BREAKING: US halts Ukraine peace talks “We were the only ones both Russians and Ukrainians were willing to talk to. So we got involved. Unfortunately, it didn’t yield results. That’s the point,” — said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio added that Washington will return to negotiations only if the dynamics change, and noted: “If someone else wants to take this on — please, be my guest.”

Marco Rubio: the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were not fruitful. "We stand ready to continue to play that role, despite leaks that are not true, despite stories out there about us forcing the Ukrainians to take this position or that position, which are not true." Secretary Rubio also said that the war can only end in a negotiated settlement and that the US were told they are the only ones who can end this war. Comment from me: I do agree that the US has tremendous capacity in ending the war. Pressure needs to be put on Russia as it is the aggressor and the side that shows no willingness towards negotiations and peace. Ukraine has repeatedly confirmed our readiness for a full ceasefire and peace talks.

A trolley is about to hit 5 people laying on the track You can redirect the car, but the other track has not yet reached regulatory approval or completed its 1 year environmental testing period, so operating a train car on it is a violation of transit regulations What do you do?