Although I am a US citizen, I was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine.

My home country is currently defending itself against a brutal, unprovoked military invasion. This colonial, neo-imperialist war is waged by Russia, which has oppressed, terrorized, and exploited Ukraine for centuries.

But the war today is not just Ukraine's War of Independence—it is one of the century's defining events that will shape the future of Europe and the entire world, including the US. As Western support for Ukraine, particularly in the US, waivers, the Russian tyrant feels emboldened and more likely to open a second front and attack another country, even a NATO member. And even barring that, should this reckless warmongering result in anything but a devastating defeat for Russia, it will serve as an encouragement to other warmongers worldwide. Those who contemplate expanding their borders and subjugating sovereign countries by force—will grow bolder. Those who used to trust in the post-WWII security architecture will be disenfranchised and motivated to seek ways to defend themselves independently, leading to nuclear proliferation. And ultimately, if Russia is not thoroughly defeated in Ukraine, it will have to be defeated elsewhere, with another country's blood, for an aggressor only ever stops where they are stopped.

As the US remains paralyzed by internal strife and petty politicking, our Congress fails to see the bigger picture and the catastrophe that this inaction and impotence bode for our future. Isolationism does not work any better than hiding your head in the sand protects you from a hurricane. #SupportUkraine, call your Representatives and demand they pass aid for Ukraine, talk about it with your friends, dentists, barbers, or high school nemeses—before it's too late.
This is only not our fight until it is.