The earthquake

The day Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine, Finland’s President said, “Now the mask’s off.”

Russian missiles hammering Ukraine shocked Americans – but it created an earthquake in Europe. For decades Europe’s leaders, smiling, thought peace in the lands they lived in was a given – Putin rocked their world.

Finland, Sweden, immediately applied to join NATO. European nations stopped buying Russian gas, Germany’s spending $113 billion to make its army stronger.

The countries along Russia’s border – Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia – fearing Putin the most want Ukraine to beat him most. But Putin still might try to cut a deal, and other countries, not on Russia’s border, may be more inclined toward compromise.

But deal or no deal Russia invading Ukraine shattered the old order: Europe now sees Putin’s a threat – and there’s no turning back the clock.