Kyiv in Flames - and the West Does What It Does Best: Hesitate

The night over Kyiv was short, loud, and deadly. For the second time within 48 hours, Russia pelted the Ukrainian capital with a hail of rockets and drones - this time leaving at least two people dead, numerous others injured, and entire streets in flames. It is the latest chapter in a war that has long become a routine of terror - and a new low point in Putin’s escalating violence. One woman now has only her backpack, her phone, and a winter coat. That is her life now. The images speak of uprooting - not just physical, but emotional. The Russian president has apparently decided to escalate the war into totalitarianism. More than 700 drones - many of them decoys designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense systems - were launched the night before. The new strategy: not precision, but overload. Not military targets, but civilians. Putin’s war has lost its last fig leaf. Anyone who still speaks of Russia's "security interests" at this point has lost all moral foundation.

The people of Kyiv - including 70 children in a single subway station - spent the night on cold floors, between concrete pillars and emergency lighting. These are scenes that recall 1943, not 2025. And while the bombs fell, Washington was locked in debate: Should Kyiv be resupplied with weapons or not? After days of hesitation, the US government under President Donald Trump has now decided to resume certain arms shipments. These include urgently needed 155-mm shells and guided GMLRS rockets. Two US officials confirmed the resumption - anonymously, because the decision had not yet been officially announced. But the moral damage is already done. The temporary suspension of aid had caused dismay in Ukraine, confusion among allies - and scorn in Russia. That Trump publicly declared on Monday that perhaps “more weapons should be sent” came across less as a statement of leadership than as a grumpy reversal. On Tuesday, he even said he was “not happy” with Putin - words that in no way reflect the reality on the ground in Ukraine.

The impression remains: The United States under Trump no longer acts as a reliable ally, but as a power with a fickle conscience. It is unclear how long the weapons shipments will actually continue - whether they might be stopped again tomorrow, if Putin makes a vague peace offer or Trump feels domestic political pressure. Uncertainty has become the strategy. For Ukraine, this means hope in installments, defense on demand. In this new phase of the war, it is no longer just about ammunition, drones, or anti-tank weapons - it is about trust. The people of Ukraine are defending not only their country but also what the West has long called universal values: freedom, security, self-determination. If the West hesitates in this moment, if it relativizes or calculates tactically, then it betrays not just Kyiv, but itself. Russia’s war is not merely an attack on a neighboring country - it is a test: What is a human life worth in the 21st century? And how long can one keep watching before becoming part of the very history that could have been prevented?