“...Putin’s Russia is a military threat to the United States (after all: Its nukes are aimed chiefly at us), and that Putin’s invasions of sovereign nations at its borders cannot be allowed to go unpunished...”
There is also the factor that if Russia takes more land and resources, it simply enriches our enemy and Russia becomes an even greater threat to us. It is in our interest to see that Russia does not trample smaller nations and absorb them.
As a nation that cares about the lives of innocent people, America also has a humanitarian interest in stopping Russian genocide against the Ukrainian people and their culture.
That is a legitimate point - but, given the gross polarization of opinion here at Free Republic, I think that it would be best, tactically, to focus on Realpolitik.
Many of the pro-invasion voices here at Free Republic frequently cite humanitarian arguments and are even so cynical as to claim that an immediate Ukrainian surrender would "save lives" and "end the killing." These voices claim that we FReepers who advocate continuing support for Ukraine must be "war-mongers" and have no respect for human life.
So my advice: Go easy on the "humanitarian" aspect of supporting Ukraine; they'll only use it against you!
Regards,