We must not abandon Ukraine now

This weekend marks the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What began, in the Kremlin’s euphemistic terminology, as a “special military operation” that was meant to end in a few days with Ukraine’s capitulation has turned into a bloody, grinding conflict with no immediate end in sight.

This is not to say that nothing has changed in the past two years. On the first anniversary, the mood in the West was optimistic.

The success of the Ukrainian armed forces in beating back the Russian aggressors had buoyed Europe’s capitals, and deliveries of tanks and weaponry were flowing. Kyiv seemed poised for a summer counter-offensive that would send Putin’s forces scurrying for the border.