Military Briefing: What the West’s Shifting Red Lines Mean for Ukraine

Washington’s constant redefinition of which weapons systems would escalate the conflict serves a purpose, some analysts said.

“The administration and European allies believe this approach of incrementalism has been a really effective way to tamp down the risk of escalation and to prevent a direct US-Russia military confrontation,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director of transatlantic security at Washington think-tank Center for New American Security. “In many ways it’s like the frog in a boiling pot of water.”

However, the shifting red lines do not guarantee that the next big-ticket item sought by Ukraine, F-16 fighter jets, is within reach. US President Joe Biden, asked last week if the US would provide them, simply responded “No”.

Read the full story and more from the Financial Times.