Vladimir Putin’s Red Lines, War Aims Shift in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was punctuated by Russia’s frequent threats to escalate the war. Many were subsequently rejected or ignored, leaving the US and its allies to guess what the Russian leader’s real red line was.

Russia’s repeated ultimatums and turns, coupled with its ever-changing war goals, have bolstered the belief among Western government officials that Mr. Putin is being forced to improvise. A war was out of his control.