“A shining city upon a hill” — in the words of John Winthrop and Ronald Reagan, America has long been a nation guided by principle and purpose. To uphold this legacy, we cannot fail the simplest of tests: recognizing, condemning and deterring international aggression.

Russia’s war on Ukraine will end when Moscow stops waging it. Yet, three years in, political discourse in Washington has muddied what should be obvious to a child: the war cannot be resolved with a handshake or a simple “deal.”

This is an unprovoked war of aggression — a criminal act. Only the Russian invader — which kidnaps children, beheads prisoners of war, deploys North Korean troops and procures ballistic missiles from Iran — can end it.

A third world war looms, and the sole force holding it back is Ukraine’s unyielding courage — the willingness of Ukraine’s bravest sons and daughters to sacrifice everything for freedom. We can’t ask more of Kyiv, but we can and must demand more from Moscow.

Russia has responded to every diplomatic overture with unceasing violence. If Vladimir Putin wanted peace, why did Moscow unleash a record 267 drones........

© The Hill