But Biden and other Western leaders should tell them that this is an option they will have if their counteroffensive is still grinding on next year. It could prove the best chance to achieve the victory that Ukraine and the democratic world need soon, while making it both Putin- and Trump-proof. From energy bills to the price of cars, our business reporter Lora Jones explains why prices could rise globally. Both announced new sanctions aimed at hitting Russia's economy and the finances of its elites. As the day developed, we saw furious reaction from the US, UK and its allies.

• The plan is not for years of battle but the military defeat of Russia, she said.
• There isnt really any source of alternative power to coalesce around while Putin is healthy and alive, said Morris.
• Thats changed, with Germany now pledging to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks and approving other countries requests to follow suit.
• While the West believes it will be up to Ukraine to decide its future, there is no denyingthe outcome of the war will have far-reaching consequences for Europe and the rest of the world.
• But it has not defined what it means, in this context, for the war to be over. Must there be a formal peace treaty?
• But to analysts, like Morris, the prospect of Putin being removed is extremely unlikely and the chances that whoever replaces him will be less hawkish are even more remote.

Analysts say its forces also require more troops and would need to withstand an expectedRussian onslaught in spring, between March and May. While the West believes it will be up to Ukraine to decide its future, there is no denyingthe outcome of the war will have far-reaching consequences for Europe and the rest of the world. Less than 12 months ago, few could have imagined the invasion continuing until today, much less predicted its conclusion. Ordinary citizens with normal, everyday liveswere suddenly making heartbreaking decisionsover whether to stayand fightor undertake the treacherous journey to a border crossing. Ukrainians woke up to the sound of panicked texts and calls, andair raid sirens blaring over thecapital, the first signs their fragile peace with Russia was broken. One year after full-scale war returned to Europe for the first time since World War II, the invasion of Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight.

Europe

Getting Bidens recent supplemental funding request for Ukraine through the House of Representatives will be hard, and that money would last only through early 2024. Putin knows that the leading Republican candidate for president next year, former President Donald Trump, would end U.S. support for Ukraine, and that there are others like him in Europe. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia never, President Joe Biden said in a speech in Poland this year, and rightly so.

• An end to the bloodshed and destruction of Ukraine can be negotiated, but such negotiations need to be mediated carefully.
• What are some of the possible scenarios that politicians and military planners are examining?
• According to a poll by the independent Razumkov Centre, a majority of Ukrainians said they believe Ukraine is "heading in the right direction" in light of the war.
• Wars often do not end predictably, and a failure to achieve hoped-for victories often leads to a sudden change of government.
• President Putin declares victory and withdraws some forces, leaving enough behind to maintain some control.
• The first possibility establishes that Russian domination could lead to a world war if the invading country were to attack another Black Sea nation.

While Americans back providing aid forUkraine, arecent Pew Research Pollfound nearly a quarter believe the country is providing too much support to Ukraine. The UShas sentbillions in crucial weaponry to helpKyiv fend off Russian attacks. But withRepublicans poised to take control of Congress, there may besignificant implications for the war. Vlada Chernykh, Ajuna Morozova and Alina Voronchikhina decided to join the volunteer Khartia Battalion, fighting for their city and their country. To avoid that scenario, NATO would likely first turn to increased sanctions and support Ukraine with weapons. It is unclear whether NATO would get involved in that scenario, Jones said.

Handing back Ukraine's border

But the sizable swaths of terrain Ukraine wants to liberate will take time, and to even build the necessary forces will take six months, Donahoe estimated. Also in the mix is a pledge from France to ship AMX-10 RC light, wheeled tanks. On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine without frozen ground to support their armored vehicles, which meant they had to stick to roads, where they stood out as easy targets.