Ukraine May Become More Successful Than Biden Wants
Zelenskiy wants to retake Crimea and put Putin on trial. The US would probably have to quash those ambitions.
Going their own ways?
Photographer: Doug Mills /Getty Images
The gains of Ukraine’s bold offensive are real, spectacular, and the product of a remarkable partnership with Washington. Success, however, can test any relationship, and Ukraine’s battlefield victories could, ironically, stoke new tensions with the US.
Right now, officials in both countries are reveling in a major military breakthrough. The New York Times reports that the Pentagon was deeply involved in planning the offensives in the east and southeast of Ukraine, war-gaming them extensively and steering President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government away from a riskier thrust toward Mariupol.