Frederick Kagan on Ukraine: Where Things Stand—and the Stakes for the Future

Conversations with Bill Kristol

Eight months into the war, where do things stand in Ukraine? According to Fred Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, Ukraine’s stunning battlefield achievements have dramatically altered the dynamic of the war. As he puts it, Russians no longer have the ability to conduct offensive operations in Ukraine. That’s over. Russians have fundamentally gone over to the defensive. But serious challenges remain. Ukraine can reconquer or secure several strategically significant territories, without which Ukraine will remain highly vulnerable to future Russian attacks. The questions emerging from the war are momentous: What will come of Putin’s nuclear threats? Is there an “off ramp” from the conflict? Are we in a new Cold War? Kagan’s thoughtful examination of the present situation and reflection on its consequences help us see how a Ukrainian victory is necessary for the free world.