War in Ukraine

How Biden’s shock-and-awe tactics are failing to stop Russia

The economic punishment of Russia was touted as a game-changer. Instead it’s turned into a war of attrition

A billboard dedicated to the “Defender of the Fatherland Day” reads “For victory! For ours! For truth!” on a street in Moscow. Photographer: Yuri Kadobnov/Getty

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s West Wing office was crammed with sleep-deprived staffers on the morning of Feb. 26, 2022. Clad in jeans and button-down shirts, clutching coffees or cold pizza, they were waiting for President Joe Biden to join on a secure line. Russia had invaded Ukraine two days earlier. The burning question of the day: How to stop a war.

The US had been warning of a looming invasion for weeks. Sullivan’s team ...