Win or Lose, Ukraine’s Big Offensive May Put Biden in a Bind
The US wants Kyiv to be successful in its spring push, but not too successful.
Good luck.
Source: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via Getty Images
The US strategy in Ukraine is premised on the idea that the war there will end, or dramatically de-escalate, this year. What if it doesn’t? President Joe Biden’s administration has done well in managing that conflict so far. But the longer the war lasts, the harder its politics will be for Biden to manage, and the greater the pressure it will exert on US policy around the globe.
Ukraine’s prospects revolve around its much-anticipated spring offensive. The Ukrainians mostly weathered Russia’s desultory winter offensive, even hanging on — barely — to besieged Bakhmut in the east. Now it is Kyiv’s turn to strike.