Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Two Years Later

The Moynihan Institute’s Center for European Studies and the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families present David J. Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute. 

Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch an unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine has not gone according to plan. Putin expected to defeat Ukrainian forces and topple the country’s democratically elected president in a matter of days. Instead, he grossly underestimated the bravery and determination of the Ukrainian people and seriously overestimated his own military’s capabilities. 

The war has taken a terrible toll on Ukrainians, but it also has been very costly in Russian lives—not that Putin cares about any of that. Support and materiel from Iran and North Korea have been critical to Russia’s ability to inflict damage on Ukraine. Western assistance has been vital for Ukraine not only to fend off Russia’s invasion but to push back and regain more than half of Russian occupied territory. 

Where does the war go from here? What should the West do? What next? 

About the speaker:

Before moving to Miami, Kramer worked in Washington, D.C., for 24 years, including as senior director for Human Rights and Democracy with the McCain Institute for International Leadership; president of Freedom House; and Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Kramer also served eight years in the U.S. Department of State during the George W. Bush administration, including as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor; deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs (responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus). He is author of the book, “Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin’s Regime.”