ON Feb. 24, 2022, the world watched in disbelief as Russia unleashed the largest military invasion in Europe since World War II. It was not a regional skirmish or a geopolitical misunderstanding; it was a brutal, unprovoked war of conquest. Three years later, Ukraine stands, battered but unbowed, fighting for its survival and the very principles of sovereignty, democracy and international law.

But as this war drags on, what is truly at stake? It is not just Ukraine's future, but the world's. What happens to Ukraine will determine whether global politics is governed by rules or by force. And, perhaps more tangibly, it will decide who controls some of the world's most valuable resources — resources that power economies, fuel industries and, if taken by force, fund future aggression.