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Ukraine-Russia

Shift burdens to Europe and avoid U.S. security guarantees

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.

UKRAINE-RUSSIA EXPERTS

Benjamin
Friedman

Policy Director

Defense Priorities

Jennifer
Kavanagh

Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis

Defense Priorities

William
Ruger

Former Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Defense Priorities

Gavin
Wilde

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

Daniel
Davis

Senior Fellow & Military Expert

Defense Priorities

Gil
Barndollar

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

Lyle
Goldstein

Director, Asia Program

Defense Priorities

Christopher
McCallion

Fellow

Defense Priorities

op-edUkraine‑Russia, Europe and Eurasia, Russia, Ukraine

Conceding Donetsk won’t end the war in Ukraine

By Jennifer Kavanagh

January 28, 2026

For months, the Trump administration has advanced a simple formula for ending the war in Ukraine: Kyiv must concede territory […]

op-edRussia, Ukraine‑Russia

Seizing empty Russian oil tanker doesn’t serve America’s interests

By Jennifer Kavanagh

January 8, 2026

In the mediaGrand strategy, Europe and Eurasia, Ukraine‑Russia

Daniel Davis critiques the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Ukraine-Russia war: LBC

Featuring Daniel Davis

January 6, 2026

Symposia: Lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

As the one-year mark of the Ukraine-Russia war approaches, Moscow has failed in many of its objectives. Ukraine has effectively blunted several major Russian advances and reclaimed large swaths of its territory from invading forces. Though the war continues, and seems far from over, there are already many key takeaways from the fighting—and the conflict’s causes and implications remain hotly contested.

Defense Priorities (DEFP) organized this symposium to stimulate thinking about the most important lessons learned from this ongoing war. Top experts, writing from a range of perspectives, share their insights in an effort to inform and improve U.S. policy.