Source: Foreign Policy
by Fabian Hoffmann
“These two images of Russia are difficult to reconcile: a Russia that is dismally failing to reach its ambitions in Ukraine and a Russia that poses an existential threat to NATO, especially the Eastern European states. The key to this apparent paradox lies in understanding that a NATO-Russia war would likely be very different from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s primary goal in a war against NATO would not be to seize large territories — at least not initially — but to destroy the alliance as a political and military entity capable of opposing Russia. Doing so would not require defeating NATO’s forces in open battle and marching into Berlin. Rather, it would entail destroying NATO’s unity and resolve, with the Kremlin betting that the alliance would fracture under pressure.” (05/19/25)