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Ukraine’s Desperate Hour: Is US to Blame for Kyiv’s Struggles?
The Biden administration could have done more to help Ukrainian forces press their early advantage, but caution won out.
This is part one of a three-part series on the past, present and future of the war in Ukraine. Part one explores whether a different US strategy could have put Ukraine in a stronger position than it holds today. Part two examines the lessons and global impacts of the war. Part three analyzes how US and Ukrainian strategy will unfold in 2024 and after.
Ukraine confronts a grim 2024. The battlefield is stalemated. Its cities are facing brutal Russian attacks. The resolve of its Western partners may be flagging. This isn’t the outcome Ukraine and its backers most feared when Russia first invaded — but it isn’t what they hoped for once Kyiv weathered that assault and took the offensive. A protracted conflict raises a vexing question: Might different US choices over the first two years of the war have put Ukraine in a stronger position today?