Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute says Russian President Vladimir Putin’s options in Ukraine have “narrowed dramatically” as Ukrainian forces seize the initiative on the battlefield and expand strikes against Russian military and energy infrastructure.
In an interview with Independence Avenue Media, Lute discusses Ukraine’s growing domestic weapons production, President Donald Trump’s pledge to license the production of Patriot interceptors in Ukraine, and why he is skeptical that Washington will produce “new ideas” capable of breaking the diplomatic deadlock between Ukraine and Russia.
Lute also explains why a conventional Russian attack against NATO remains unlikely, how the alliance could respond if its territory were attacked, and why Russia’s hybrid operations pose an immediate challenge. Looking back at Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, he argues that stronger Western action then — and following Russia’s 2014 attack on Ukraine — might have helped deter the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.
