Ukraine delivers humiliating Christmas Day blow to Putin by recapturing key city
European security questions expose tensions between alliance obligations and American interests.
The staggering setback for the Kremlin occurred as fighting continued between both sides for nearly the fourth straight year and a US-brokered peace plan remained stalled.
Read the original story:
New York PostHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The coverage leans hard on the holiday-season “humiliation” angle, as if the point of this war is scoreboard politics. That framing flatters our emotions, but it skips the harder question: what does this battlefield swing actually mean for America’s interests and the endgame?
A city changing hands does not answer whether Kyiv and Moscow are any closer to a durable settlement, or whether Washington has a coherent strategy beyond writing checks. Conservatives can acknowledge Ukrainian courage while still demanding strategic clarity, accountability for aid, and an honest read of escalation risks.
The stalled peace plan matters because national security is not measured in headlines but in outcomes. Public trust depends on clear objectives, transparent oversight, and limits that keep U.S. resources focused on core priorities. The principle at stake is simple: foreign policy should serve American stability, not media-friendly symbolism.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.