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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

How to Avoid Defeat in Ukraine

For starters, step up military aid and break Putin’s global networks of influence.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Russia's President Vladimir Putin attending a meeting of leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation in the Belarusian capital Minsk on November 23, 2023. (Valery Sharifulin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
Russia's President Vladimir Putin attending a meeting of leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the Belarusian capital Minsk on November 23, 2023. (Valery Sharifulin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The German tabloid “Bild” said the quiet part out loud. President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the well-sourced , plan to force Ukraine into peace talks next year by denying it the weapons needed to win.

This creates a dilemma for those who know that Ukraine’s fate matters deeply to the U.S., but who can also see that Team Biden is more interested in avoiding confrontation with Russia than in defeating it. To oppose aid to Ukraine is to ensure a Russian victory, but funding Mr. Biden’s approach will do little to prevent one—and will further erode public support for America’s global engagement.