Ukraine has suffered over $100 billion infrastructure damage and global economic losses are now about $550 billion. The human suffering behind these numbers is enormous.
It didn't have to be this way. Ukrainians could have kept their freedom while remaining at peace.
Consider: What if the tables were turned? Suppose Russia had formed a hostile military alliance with Mexico, Cuba and 28 other nations and placed threatening missiles near our borders. Would the U.S. have agreed this was within the sovereign rights of these nations? Clearly not. As we saw during the Cuban missile crisis, any violation of our security claim (the Monroe Doctrine) over the entire Western Hemisphere is considered reason for war, including even nuclear war.
Yet since the fall of the USSR, the U.S. has acted as though Russia has no such security concerns about hostile forces stationed near its borders.