JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why Russia’s War in Ukraine Could Run for Years” – WSJ
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“From Moscow to Washington, a lack of clear and achievable strategic goals points to a long conflict.”
“Russia’s war on Ukraine is in danger of becoming a protracted struggle … last[ing] several more years. … [F]ront-line combat is a slow-moving slog… [and] none of the main actors have political goals … both clear and attainable. Ukraine’s central war aim — restoring … territorial integrity — is the clearest, but appears a distant prospect given the limits of Western support. … U.S. and key European allies … want to prevent Russia from winning, but fear the costs and risks of helping Ukraine to full victory. Some Western officials are sketching out grand bargains … fit[ting] neither Kyiv’s nor Moscow’s goals. … Recent events, from the [Wagner] revolt … to the ruble’s sinking value, show how the war is straining Russia’s economy and military, but not yet to a breaking point. Some observers believe the … war … is becoming an end in itself, the raison d’être of a [Putin] regime that can no longer offer economic growth and stability. Russia hasn’t given up its maximal goal … [analyst Alina] Polyakova said: to reassert its old sphere of influence and stop countries … from moving further West — whether that means domination or turning them into failed states. …”