Russia’s expected breezy stroll into Kyiv — Ukraine’s capital city — has run into something, well, that looks more like a mortal struggle, a fight to the death.
The fight has taken its toll on Russians as well as Ukrainians, so much so that media are now reporting a possible draft peace treaty might be in the works as Ukraine struggles to fend off the invaders from Russia.
It is impossible to predict whether this so-called “draft treaty” will end up with signatures from the warring sides and that the fighting will cease. Or that there ever will be any semblance of stability in a region dominated by the thug who runs the Russian government, Vladimir Putin.
My cheap-seat perch in North Texas only allows me to speculate that (a) the Russians are not dedicated to the mission they were sent to complete, (b) the Kremlin misjudged Ukraine’s resolve to defend itself, (c) the Russians’ command and control is a collection of incompetent boobs who cannot find their rear ends with both hands.
It is a strange feeling that overwhelms me as I actually find myself rooting for the Ukrainians to defeat the Russians on the battlefield. I realize fully that the Russians aren’t likely to wave a white flag of surrender and then allow Ukraine to declare victory on the field of battle. The war won’t end that way.
It well might end the way the media are reporting, that both sides might be able to negotiate a settlement. Ukraine might be persuaded to declare its neutrality vis a vis Russia and the Russians might be persuaded to end its assault on helpless civilians in an effort to subdue Ukraine.
My prayers are flowing. They are continuous. I want the Russians to continue to struggle for as long as this conflict drags on and, yes, I will continue to root for Ukraine.
