Usa Vs Russia

A long war would have significant costs for the United States and other NATO members. It would also limit the US ability to address other important challenges, such as competition with China. In addition, the conflict could draw in other U.S. allies in Europe and the Black Sea littoral. In such a scenario, the conflict might become a proxy war between the two powers in which the US does not have an obvious advantage.

It is not clear how long the war will last, but it is possible that it could stretch into 2024 or beyond. Russia and Ukraine have some differences of opinion about how to end the war, and the incident involving the downing of a US drone underscores the potential for miscalculation in future incidents.

In the aftermath of the incident, top US and Russian defense and military leaders spoke directly to one another, underscoring their determination to tamp down the risks of escalation. The fact that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley held a call with his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, is indicative of the seriousness of the incident and the desire of both sides to de-escalate tensions.

US officials have criticized Moscow’s handling of the downing of an Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was flying in international airspace near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized and illegally annexed in 2014. The Pentagon is working to declassify footage of the encounter that appears to puncture the Kremlin’s narrative that the drone was not struck. It shows a Russian Su-27 fighter making two close passes while dropping what appears to be fuel on the drone before colliding with it and damaging its propeller.