Ukraine and the Contest of Global Stamina

When Russia invaded Ukraine four months ago, the war was expected to be a Russian blitzkrieg, but became a debacle for Moscow. Now it has evolved into a battle of inches with no end in sight. President Vladimir V. Putin is gambling that he can outlast a fickle, impatient West.

President Biden has vowed to stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” But neither he nor anyone else can say how long that will be, or how much more the United States and its allies can do over that distance, short of direct military intervention. At some point, officials acknowledge, U.S. and European stocks of weapons will run low.

So Mr. Biden and his team are searching for a long-term strategy at a time when the White House sees the dangers of escalation increasing, the prospect for a negotiated settlement still far-off and public weariness beginning to set in at home and abroad. Read more

@nytimes