US President Joe Biden’s Ukraine, Poland, and NATO meetings last week in the run up to the one-year mark of Russia’s attack on Ukraine was historic—and effective. He shored up support among Ukraine’s allies, undercut adversaries abroad and critics at home, and further established what it will take to win the war and rebuild Ukraine in its aftermath.
This political and geopolitical momentum is essential and must be maintained throughout this second year of war. The challenge of keeping Western political leaders on board may well become even more dicey in the months ahead—not least because Biden’s most prominent domestic political opponents may refuse to support Ukraine as US leadership in rallying the world behind Ukraine translates into a political asset for Biden.