EXPANDING POLITICAL GOALS: AMERICA’S FAILING STRATEGY IN UKRAINE WAR
Journal: NDU Journal
Year: 2025

Understanding the political goal of a war is essential, as it helps assess the nature of the conflict, its likely duration, the risks adversaries are willing to take, and the costs they are prepared to bear. A political goal can be offensive, as seen in the case of U.S. civil and military support for Ukraine and NATO’s enlargement, which Russia perceives as provocative, aiming to diminish its strategic buffer zone. Conversely, a political goal can be defensive, as in Russia’s efforts to maintain