What has Russian President Vladimir Putin learned from history?

He needs to realize that he has committed a cardinal sin by launching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has revived the scourge of outright military aggression that once plagued the world, and stop the operation immediately.

Russia on May 9 celebrated the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. In early May in 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered after nearly six years of brutal attempts to expand its territory into surrounding countries and exterminate Jews.

It is known that the Soviet Union played an important historical role in liberating Europe. But the war waged by Putin, who apparently wants to resurrect the Soviet empire, is an outrageous act of trampling on people in a neighboring country as Nazi Germany did.

In his closely watched Victory Day speech, Putin did nothing but try to justify his invasion. He made an unfounded claim that Ukraine plans to acquire nuclear weapons in a serious security threat to Russia as a justification for Moscow's invasion, saying Kyiv left Russia with no choice but to launch a “pre-emptive” attack.

Putin also clearly stated that his country’s main supposed enemy is the United States and pledged to protect Russia’s “traditional values” in the face of security threats from the United States. His remarks apparently reflected his determination to reject Western-style democracy and maintain his authoritarian rule in the country.

His vow not to allow the devastation caused by a world war to be repeated only rang hollow. He has stepped up his threat to use nuclear arms in the run-up to the day in what should be seen as a blatant challenge to the international security regime.

His recent words and actions seem to reflect his frustration at how his war plan has gone awry. The Russian forces gave up its original goal of seizing Ukraine’s capital in March and shifted its focus to occupying the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively known as the Donbas.

But the Russian military has failed to make expected progress.

Now that the Victory Day celebration is over, there will be no politically important date for Putin in the coming months. This raises concerns about the possibility that the conflict may drag on for a long time, increasing civilian casualties.

The other day, a school in Luhansk used as a shelter for local residents was bombed by a Russian aircraft in an appalling tragedy that confirmed the concerns.

The leaders of the Group of Seven leading democracies, including Japan, held an online meeting this week to discuss their collective responses to what is transpiring in Ukraine. They agreed on a phased embargo of Russian oil to choke off the main revenue source for the country.

They also reconfirmed their commitment to continue providing military aid to Ukraine.

There is a compelling case for the leading democracies to support Ukraine’s unflinching fight to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Putin’s threats. Overlooking such an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force would make it impossible to maintain peace and security in the international community.

But a war of attrition between two military forces with similar capabilities would lead to further bloodshed and destruction, raising the risk of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction being used. Military support to Ukraine alone cannot bring the war to an end.

In its first unanimous vote on an initiative to end the war in Ukraine, the U.N. Security Council last week adopted a presidential statement stressing that all member states have “the obligation to settle their international disputes by peaceful means.” 

This is time for the permanent members of the council, including the United States, China, Britain and France, to fulfill their duties.

They should work with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make tenacious diplomatic efforts to correct the mistakes committed by Putin. Other major countries including Japan and Germany are also facing a crucial test of their diplomatic prowess.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10