In this essay for TIME, Elliot Ackerman argues that the Biden administration’s “slow yes” approach to military aid has narrowed Ukraine’s chances for decisive victory.
Writing near the end of the war’s second year, Ackerman examines how delayed decisions on tanks, HIMARS, F-16s, and other advanced weapons allowed Russia to adapt, fortify, and shift the battlefield toward attrition.
Ukraine, Russia, and the Cost of Delay
The essay explores how early hesitation by the United States and NATO shaped the war’s trajectory, turning battlefield opportunity into a prolonged contest of endurance.
Military Aid and Escalation Fears
Ackerman analyzes how fear of Russian escalation and nuclear threats influenced Western policy, slowing the delivery of weapons Ukraine had requested much earlier.
The Strategy of the Slow Yes
At its center, the piece argues that gradual support allowed Ukraine to keep fighting, but not enough to win, creating the conditions for a frozen and costly conflict.