The Washington Post editorial board:
Rebutting Mr. Putin’s arguments is almost beside the point — it’s doubtful even he believes his wild accusations about Ukraine as a future platform for NATO aggression — but not entirely. The truth is that Ukraine is a member state of the United Nations, whose security Russia itself undertook to respect 28 years ago, in exchange for Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament. Ukraine has not been waging “genocide” against a Russian-speaking ethnic minority, as Mr. Putin alleged, but defending itself from a 2014-2015 Russian destabilization campaign that created the breakaway regions and engineered the seizure of Ukraine’s strategic Crimean region on the Black Sea. Mr. Putin’s pseudo-history about the kinship of Russians and Ukrainians ignores those facts. His true reason for targeting Ukraine is not Russian national security but to preserve his own power in Moscow, which would be threatened by a successful democratic experiment in a former Soviet republic of Ukraine’s size and cultural importance.
Shaun Walker, The Guardian, on possible cracks in the Kremlin's aggressive facade:
From behind his desk, frequently smirking, Putin listened one-by-one to his security council. The body contains some of the few people who have Putin’s ear, but even some of them appeared overawed by the situation and nervous at fluffing their lines.
Sergei Naryshkin, the hawkish head of Russia’s spy service, known for making aggressively anti-western statements, stuttered uncomfortably as Putin grilled him on whether he supported the decision.
“Speak directly!” Putin snapped, twice.
Eventually, when he was able to get the words out, Naryshkin said he supported “the LNR and DNR becoming part of Russia.” Putin told him that wasn’t the subject of the discussion; it was only recognition being weighed up.
Some suggested this might have been a carefully scripted encounter to show the West what other options might be available, but Naryshkin’s genuinely flustered expression suggested otherwise.
If Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to gobble up another chunk of Ukraine at little or no cost to his own interests, he should have done it while Donald Trump was still president. With President Biden leading the response, Putin’s potential costs are rising — while his hoped-for benefits have evaporated. [snip]
Even in this era of scorched-earth politics, Biden’s Republican critics are at pains to formulate specific complaints about his leadership on Ukraine. A few, such as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), have said he should have ordered a full-scale evacuation of American citizens. But others, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), agree with Biden that such a step would be premature and unwise. Some Republicans have attacked Biden’s energy policies, arguing that the United States should be maximizing oil and gas production to curb Putin’s coercive power, which hardly seems on point. The most common GOP criticism is the most amorphous: Putin is supposedly emboldened because he sees Biden as weak.
The precise opposite appears to be true. [snip]
But even as Russian forces strike, Putin will have to ask himself one question: Where’s Trump when I need him?
Kenya's Ambassador to the United Nations Martin Kimani to the Security Council, where every member stood against Russian aggression:
The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine stands breached. The Charter of the United Nations continues to wilt under the relentless assault. In one moment it is invoked in reverence by the very same countries who then turned their backs on it in pursuit of objectives diametrically opposed to peace and security. In the last two meetings and the buildup of forces in Ukraine, they urged diplomacy be given a chance. Our cry was not heated and more importantly, the charter's demand to settle the dispute by peaceful means in such a manner are not in danger has been profoundly undermined. Today, the threat or use of force has been affected. Kenya is gravely concerned by the announcement made by the Russian Federation to recognize the regions of Ukraine as independent states.
No one, except the captive audiences in Russia and on Fox "News", is treating Russian thug Putin's claims of Ukraine being the aggressor, or engaging in "genocide" against the Russian speaking population in eastern Ukraine, seriously. Not that that has any importance to him at the moment. His fear of an independent, democratic Ukraine on his border is the primary driver for his desperate actions.
