There are some eerie similarities between Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin. Hitler was furious that Germany surrendered to end World War I. Putin was furious that the USSR lost the Cold War.

Hitler spent the next 20 years trying to figure out how to reclaim lost territory as well as return Germany to glory. Since around 1990, Putin has been trying to do the exact same thing for Russia. Hitler got his old territory back, but he kept going. That over-reach led to World War II in the European theatre.

Putin has already reclaimed some of the areas the USSR lost. He now has his sights set on the Ukraine. If he gets it back, the million-dollar question is, “Will he stop there?”

The world needs to be careful. Putin is facing global condemnation for what he’s doing, even in Russia. Does he even care? Or will he just say, “Screw it”?

The difference between Putin and Hitler is that Putin has nukes. The number of people Hitler killed in five-and-a-half years, Putin could do in five-and-a-half hours.

Everyone feels heartbreak for the people of Ukraine. But is Ukraine worth a nuclear armageddon? If Ukraine does fall, I bet the Ukrainians will make life miserable for Putin for a long time. The world could aid in that misery.

We should arm Ukraine to the teeth, but at the same time not do a stupid, knee-jerk reaction that could be catastrophic.

The longer Putin is bogged down, the less likely he’ll be able to take his next step, whatever that is.

— Allan Gilmour

Salisbury