Hamas’ savage attack on Israeli civilians may have put the Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine on the media’s back pages, but it has not diminished the threat that Russia poses to American security and prosperity. Putin’s aim today is to subdue Ukraine, but that is not the end of his ambitions. He aims to restore effective control over the countries that once made up the Soviet Union and to exert influence in the countries that were once part of the Kremlin-controlled Warsaw Pact. Put simply, he has designs on NATO allies whom we are obliged to defend.
As its support for Hamas makes clear, the damage Moscow does goes well beyond Europe. The place to stop Putin—to contain him—is in Ukraine. This is the smart and economical way to defend core US interests.