A man is seen through a broken window inside a damaged building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2026.
Opinion

The US and Europe have a narrow window to change Russia's war trajectory

by Nataliya Bugayova

Editor's note: The op-ed is based on a broader report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), published on Oct. 13, 2026. The United States and Europe risk squandering the best opportunity since 2022 to alter Russia's trajectory toward a longer and larger war. Ukraine currently has the best chance of seizing the strategic initiative against Russia since December 2022, even as it faces the greatest risk to its momentum. Russia's ballistic missile and jet-powered drone campaign against Ukr

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President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 3, 2026.
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