The West Should Not Fall for Putin’s ‘Red Lines’

And the Trump administration should not take office operating under the delusion that Biden was somehow too reckless in his management of this conflict.

The transition period between the Biden and Trump administrations will be a dangerous time for Europe. Both Russia and Ukraine understand that the incoming Trump White House will take a different approach to the conflict, but there is profound uncertainty about the form that difference will take. As a result, both parties to Russia’s war of territorial expansion know they have a short window to shape the conditions on the ground in advantageous ways in advance of January 20.