A Russian Gain in Ukraine, Courtesy of MAGA

The trajectory of the Ukraine war is very dependent on U.S. domestic politics

The Ukrainian city of Avdiivka after Russians bombed it last May. (National Police of Ukraine/Creative Commons 4.0)

On February 17, Ukraine announced that it had withdrawn from the eastern city of Avdiivka, the first major Russian gain since last May. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the head of Ukraine’s forces in the south, said in a statement, “In a situation where the enemy is advancing on the corpses of their own soldiers with a 10-to-1 shell advantage, under constant bombardment, this is the only correct solution."

While Ukraine had no choice but to withdraw, the choice of U.S. House Republicans not to bring up the foreign aid bill -- which would send ammunition and air defenses to Ukraine -- facilitated the Russian advance.