Eine Panzerkolonne mit dem aufgemalten Z-Symbol erstreckt sich in die Ferne, während sie auf der Autobahn Mariupol-Donezk in Richtung Norden fährt. In der Ukraine sind im Laufe des Tages mehr als 4500 Menschen aus belagerten und umkämpften Städten evakuiert worden. +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

With renewed urgency, the Ukraine war poses the old question of the relationship between foreign policy, morality and national interests. The closer winter approaches, the louder those who don’t want to freeze for Kyiv will be louder. On one point these voices are right: in the short term, Western Europe would increase its economic usefulness by abandoning Ukraine to its fate and prioritizing stable and cheap energy supplies. (…) Anyone who pays a blackmailer once will pay again and again. Whoever gives in to Putin now has to prepare for new demands and provocations. Putin attacked Georgia in 2008 and Europe was silent. Putin attacked Ukraine in 2014 and Europe remained silent again. If Europe also reacts by doing nothing or appeasement in 2022, the price will be much higher in the future. Resistance to Russian imperialism is not just a matter of morality, it is in the self-interest of Europeans.

Do you still need this war?