In August, President Biden stated, “I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Russia’s continued war against Ukraine and its efforts to plunge the Ukrainian people into darkness.” He was referring to air strikes against Ukraine’s power grid. As winter approaches, Moscow is trying to plunge the Ukrainian people not just into darkness but into the freezing cold. According to the UN, “Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and power cuts in Ukraine will likely uproot an additional 500,000 people ahead of the coming winter.” At the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in August, the allies pledged to “send Ukraine additional strategic air defense systems” but not provide the kind of direct air cover provided to Israel. The United States and willing partners should intervene in the air war both on humanitarian grounds and to demonstrate an escalation dominance that could extend to other forms of intervention, which is the key to bringing the war to an acceptable conclusion. It will fall to President Trump to implement “peace through strength” by acts and not just rhetoric.

Putin is showing no signs of halting his aggression. President-elect Trump’s call for a ceasefire fell on deaf ears. Putin is continuing very costly “meatgrinder” attacks in the Donbas, where after nearly three years of fighting (following many prior years of insurrection), he still has not fully captured the areas he illegally “annexed.” Tapping North Korea as a fresh source of troops is an escalation that the Western alliance must counter (not just condemn) if the situation on the ground is to be stabilized. A “forever” war of attrition will wear down Ukraine and increase the cost of allied support, not to mention divert attention away from even more dangerous threats in Asia. Fighting only a limited, defensive war allows the enemy to remain in the fight and hold the initiative.

Russia and Iran must feel the West’s escalation dominance to a level that not only destroys their ability to continue their aggression but dampens their willingness to continue. They must be made to desire peace as much as we do. It is never too early to end wars that should never have started.

William R. Hawkins is a former economics professor who has worked for conservative think tanks and on the Republican staff of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has written widely on international economics and national security issues for both professional and popular publications including for the Army War College, the U.S. Naval Institute, and the National Defense University, among others.

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