| Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Biden Administration has provided valuable intelligence and increasingly powerful weaponry—a risky choice that has paid off in the battle against Putin.  Illustration by Álvaro Bernis When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, in February, U.S. intelligence predicted that Kyiv would fall within days. “Prior to this year’s invasion,” Joshua Yaffa writes, in this week’s issue, “officials in Kyiv often felt as if the political establishment in Washington viewed their country as little more than a bit player in a geopolitical game.” But, nearly eight months later, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has continued to lead the fight, leveraging crucial military support from the U.S. to expose Russian weaknesses. Yaffa reports from inside the effort, conducting eye-opening interviews with both American and Ukrainian officials that reveal the increasing willingness of the U.S. to provide Ukraine with weapons and intelligence—while drawing careful lines “not to be perceived as being in a direct conflict with Russia.” As one senior Defense Department official says, “Was it that we were always too cautious, and we could have been more aggressive all along? Or, had we provided these systems right away, would they have indeed been very escalatory? . . . In that scenario, Russia was the frog, and we boiled the water slowly, and Russia got used to it.” —Jessie Li, newsletter editor Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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