Ukraine needs to stop fighting the war Russia wants

Sun, 06/23/2024 - 05:00

A Ukrainian military tank fires during military training as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on May 28, 2024. — Ukraine is increasingly fighting an attritional conflict against Russia, which can build more tanks and field more troops.
Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images

Ukraine is trapped in a strategy that favors Russia, a Ukrainian security expert argues.
Without a grand strategy for victory, the most that Ukraine can do is try to hold on.
"The lack of a strategy for victory will turn this war into a war of attrition," Oleksandr Danylyuk told BI.

Ukraine is caught in a strategic trap. It barely has the strength to keep Russia from making major advances, yet it is not strong enough to eject Russian forces from the territory it held prior to the 2022 invasion. The result is a war of attrition that Ukraine can't win.