The Implications of a Russian Victory in Ukraine

Should Western military and financial support for Ukraine weaken in 2024 and beyond, Russia will keep or even expand its territorial control of Ukraine, which will increase the risk of Russian aggressions against other countries amid an increasingly fragmented and ineffective West. On Dec. 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a large end-of-year press conference, marking the first time in nearly two years that he gave a public engagement of this type. His statements -- particularly on the back of his recent visit to the Middle East -- underscored Moscow's renewed confidence in the trajectory of the war in Ukraine, Russia's economy, and Putin's grip on power ahead of Russia's March 2024 presidential election....