I’ve pretty much said it all before so this is going to be short.  Certainly, the US should firmly oppose a threatened Russian invasion of Ukraine.  But we still need a grand bargain with Russia that acknowledges and accommodates Russia/Putin’s legitimate grievances.  That Putin might actually have legitimate grievances is an idea that can hardly be gleaned from our mainstream media.  It certainly doesn’t come through in Alexander Vindman’s opinion piece in today’s NY Times.  Vindman wants the US to get tougher with Russia on Ukraine, in view of what he sees as the big issue at stake:  “the vital role that a free and sovereign Ukraine plays in advancing US interests against those of Russia and China.”  So, Vindman would make the Ukraine a US ally in a new Cold War with Russia and China. Is it any wonder that Putin wants to tighten his grip on Ukraine? Vindman even envisions Ukraine as a potential democratic Trojan Horse:

A prosperous Ukraine buttressed by American support makes an authoritarian Russia unviable in the long run….It may even convince the Russia people—who share a culture, history and religion with Ukraine—to eventually demand their own framework for democratic transition.

Vindman’s views undoubtedly reflect those of a good portion of the US foreign policy establishment. It apparently doesn’t occur to him that his article will be read by Putin (and it surely will be read by Putin) as vindication for the Russian autocrat’s aggressive line.

We need to get real.  I’m no fan of Putin and I would like to see a democratic Russia as much as Vindman would. But our Russia policy needs to focus on achieving a stable and relatively non-conflictual relationship with the world’s second-largest nuclear power. That is a more urgent and practical objective than any fantasy of Russian democratization.