The next administration is likely to continue U.S. military aid to Ukraine to some degree. Yet the United States should use this aid to push Ukraine to adopt a defensive strategy that will be more sustainable for the Ukrainians and more responsible and feasible for the United States, while also reducing the risk of Russian escalation.

Discussion about U.S. foreign policy strategy, defense priorities, and military spending required to connect means and ends.

Following the heinous October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, Israel responded with a devastating assault on Gaza. As that conflict rages, the risks of spillover into a broader regional war remain dangerously high—as does the risk to U.S. troops in the region, who remain targets.

On key foreign policy questions—around the Ukraine-Russia war, a China-Taiwan contingency, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and more—there’s often a disconnect between Washington’s policies and the preferences of the American people.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has become a grinding war of attrition resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties. As the war continues and losses mount, Russia’s material advantages make a Ukrainian military victory less likely, while the risk of escalation into a direct conflict between NATO and Russia remains.

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