Biden at leadership crossroads in Ukraine on anniversary of Russia's war

One year after Russia invaded Ukraine and 12 months of death, destruction, and sacrifice, the war has tested the country and its allies, including President Joe Biden .

But Biden's decisions regarding the conflict, already criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, are poised to come under even more scrutiny during a divided Congress as Ukraine prepares for intensified fighting this spring.

Biden's botched Afghanistan drawdown "bruised" the president's reputation, with Russia's war in Ukraine an unfortunate opportunity to make amends, according to former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor.

"I think he learned from that, and, if anything, it made him more determined to exercise leadership and make difficult decisions," Taylor told the Washington Examiner of Biden. "The difference between President Biden's leadership on Ukraine and his leadership on Afghanistan is stark, is dramatic, and he's proven to be an incredible wartime leader — as, by the way, has [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky ."