“It’s also easy for the US and European nations to wage a proxy war, wasting Ukrainian lives to advance global interests.”

I get so tired of people pushing this fiction. If you are truly a PhD, you should know better. A proxy war is a war instigated by a powerful country to to promote its self interest in which it is not directly involved. In this case, Ukraine is defending itself. Neither NATO nor the US did anything to start this war. Indeed, under the Budapest Accord of 1994, whereby Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, the US, UK and Russia were all obliged to provide for the security and safety of Ukraine. Russia violated its obligation. The US and UK are merely fulfilling theirs indirectly. They have no boots on the ground, though the Budapest Accord could be read to require it. They are just helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s naked aggression and imperialistic dreams by providing the means to do so.

Degradation of Russian military capacity may help western European countries feel more secure in the future, but that has never been the intent or reason for the conflict. It is merely a potential collateral benefit. Everyone wishes that Russia would stop the foolishness and just withdraw to the internationally recognized borders. It could be over tomorrow if Putin came to his senses.