it's about the right of self-determination that every free nation is entitled to, and standing up to tyranny however it's humanly possible to do so. if it's actually the case that public opinion in support of freedom and justice is waning, then it's time to change public opinion.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as all that.

As for public opinion, support for freedom and justice is probably pretty high. But, people today have seen too many long wars in their lifetime and plenty of bad US policy that led to them with precious little to show for it.

How do you change public opinion and make the American people see that continued US military and financial support of Ukraine is in their best interests?

I think you start to do that by clarifying what the mission is and explaining how that mission will be accomplished. So far, neither the Biden administration nor its NATO allies have been able to do that. I don't think they have the first clue. And, that is a recipe for disaster.  

I think the former is more likely ... or something very similar to it.

Now, I don't mean to say that particular outcome would be the endgame for Ukraine for all eternity. But, given the alternatives at this point, it's not a bad 'starting' point.

If this latest long war scenario plays out for years rather than weeks or months, however, the long term prospects for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity I think are greatly reduced.

It's about whether our species is going to die off in a nuclear omnicide within the next few decades. Russia, without its empire, is a third-rate regional power. Its only real asset is nuclear blackmail. There are a lot of third-rate regional powers in the world. If we make it clear that careless nuclear blackmail now works miracles for third-rate regional powers whose conventional military capabilities have been rotted away by corruption, enough of them will get the message, and Mutual Assured Destruction will not have any chance of working.

We will all die.

Well, I'm old and obese, so I'll die even sooner. But, unless we resist Russia's nuclear blackmail much better than we have been, I'll die in a world where no one who's young now will ever have a great-grandchild.

Besides, there is waning public support for the Ukraine war effort, anyways. And, you know what Biden always says ... no foreign policy objective can be long sustained, no matter how worthwhile, without the informed consent of the American people ... worthwhile and informed being the suspect and key words, respectively.

Ukraine still has about 5 billion in US support to use up (thanks to the Pentagon accounting error!) and the seized Iranian small arms ammunition that the US will transfer to Ukraine - maybe that will finally make the difference.

(1) Most likely a handful of vulnerable Democrats will cross the aisle to support a negotiated moderate (read grown up) or else,

(2) It’s highly unlikely that a handful of vulnerable Republicans cross the aisle to support…Hakeem Jeffries?

I know I know, it objectively is a long shot. But somebody has to at least do the bare minimum in the House.