The war in Ukraine continues to occupy the attention of policymakers in Washington and Europe. As Russia shifts the focus of its invasion to the country’s south and east, it is becoming increasingly clear that the conflict has entered a new phase, becoming a war of attrition in which neither side seems likely to gain the upper hand anytime soon.
While the Russian offensive once again seems to have stagnated, its destructive impact has not diminished. And while stepped up deliveries of U.S. and European military aid seem to be enabling the Ukrainian armed forces to hold the line, it is uncertain they will be enough to repel Russian forces from the country altogether.
But if the granular details of the fighting understandably command policymaking and popular attention, it is also useful to pull back the lens to frame the bigger picture, because what is more broadly at stake in the war in Ukraine is the effort fix the border between two incompatible systems—the West and Russia under President Vladimir Putin.