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Is Europe Prepared for a Proxy War With Russia?

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A Ukrainian military delegation watches a demonstration of the Javelin anti-tank missile system during U.S. training exercises in Germany on May 9, 2017. Photo credit: 1st Lt. Kayla Christopher, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team/Public Domain via DVIDS

Editor’s Note: Russian forces are bogged down in Ukraine yet show no sign of ending their invasion. The United States and many European countries are pouring military aid into Ukraine, hoping to stop the Russian conquest. This short-term stalemate may devolve into a grinding proxy war. Michel Wyss of ETH Zurich argues that a proxy war is already taking shape and warns of the many risks and dangers this may entail.

Daniel Byman

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It took a mere few days for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to upend many European conventions previously deemed sacrosanct. Not only did the European Union impose crippling sanctions against Moscow and ban Russian airplanes from its skies, but it also decided to provide Ukraine with a $503 million Is Europe Prepared for a Proxy War With Russia?