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Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now a grinding war of attrition concentrated on the Donbas. Reports detail the day-to-day fighting, destruction, and other developments, but the following Defense Priorities analysis aims to improve understanding of the broader implications of the war and the U.S. role in it.

UKRAINE EXPERTS

Benjamin
Friedman

Policy Director

Defense Priorities

Daniel
Davis

Senior Fellow & Military Expert

Defense Priorities

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

Lyle
Goldstein

Director, Asia Program

Defense Priorities

Jennifer
Kavanagh

Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis

Defense Priorities

Christopher
McCallion

Fellow

Defense Priorities

Rajan
Menon

Former Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Defense Priorities

William
Ruger

Non-Resident Senior Fellow

Defense Priorities

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

What do ‘security guarantees’ mean for Ukraine?

By Daniel DePetris

August 22, 2025

If Ukraine decides to sign any peace deal ending its 3 1/2 year war with Russia, security guarantees will have to be included. […]

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

Trump should walk away from Ukraine before it’s too late

By Christopher McCallion

August 19, 2025

In the mediaUkraine‑Russia, Europe and Eurasia

Jennifer Kavanagh and Heather Conley on the Russia-Ukraine War

Featuring Jennifer Kavanagh

August 19, 2025

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.