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One-sentence summary: A secretive, high-stakes U.S.-Ukrainian military partnership forged in 2022 shaped the course of the Ukraine war, yielding early gains but later unraveling amid diverging goals, internal rivalries, and shifting American policy.
Adam Entous’s investigation, based on over 300 interviews across multiple countries, unveils the covert partnership between the United States and Ukraine that shaped the trajectory of the war against Russia from 2022 through early 2025. The collaboration began shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion, when top Ukrainian generals were secretly flown to Wiesbaden, Germany, where U.S. Army Europe and Africa headquartered a clandestine operation known as Task Force Dragon. There, alongside coalition allies, U.S. officers and intelligence agencies helped plan Ukraine’s defenses and counteroffensives, supplying intelligence, training, and advanced weaponry. This tight-knit alliance enabled a technologically outmatched Ukraine to hold off and even repel Russian forces in key battles, such as Kherson and Kharkiv.
Throughout the war’s early stages, the U.S. supplied Ukraine with an unprecedented arsenal, including HIMARS, Javelins, Patriot systems, and intelligence that formed the backbone of targeting efforts. U.S. and Ukrainian officers worked side by side, planning major strikes and coordinating real-time battlefield operations. American intelligence often guided Ukrainian artillerymen, with cooperation so deep that NATO officers described the U.S. as part of the “kill chain.”
Yet the partnership also strained under cultural misunderstandings, mismatched expectations, and diverging goals. Ukrainian leaders often viewed American support as insufficient or too cautious, while U.S. officials grew frustrated with what they saw as political interference and disorganization in Ukraine’s military command. These tensions reached a breaking point during the failed 2023 counteroffensive, when internal rivalries-particularly between Generals Zaluzhny and Syrsky-and President Zelensky’s strategic preferences led to a fragmented, ultimately ineffective campaign. American planners had urged caution and patience, but Ukraine pressed ahead, dividing resources among multiple offensives, especially focusing on Bakhmut, which yielded high Russian casualties but no strategic breakthrough.
As the war dragged on into 2024, Ukraine’s battlefield gains dwindled. U.S. support persisted but became more conditional and measured, crossing previous red lines gradually – authorizing long-range missile strikes into Russian-held Crimea, expanding CIA intelligence-sharing, and later permitting strikes inside Russian territory itself. These decisions were often reactive, prompted by Russia’s tactical advances or fears of political fallout from perceived inaction.
The firing of General Zaluzhny in early 2025, replaced by the more politically aligned General Syrsky, signaled a shift in Ukraine’s internal dynamics. At the same time, the partnership evolved toward greater Ukrainian autonomy in operations, though friction remained – especially as Ukraine used coalition weapons in unsanctioned offensives into Russia, breaching previously agreed-upon rules.
Operation Lunar Hail, a covert long-range missile campaign against Russian military assets in Crimea, showcased the enduring yet fragile collaboration between Ukraine and its Western allies. Despite successes, Ukraine’s reliance on Western support – increasingly uncertain under President Trump’s incoming administration – exposed the country’s vulnerability. Trump’s victory brought immediate fears of waning U.S. commitment. Biden’s outgoing administration rushed to solidify support and authorize broader targeting flexibility, but the geopolitical future of Ukraine remained uncertain.
Ultimately, while the U.S.-Ukraine partnership delayed Russian advances and yielded critical battlefield victories, it failed to deliver a decisive outcome. Political rivalries, mismatched ambitions, and limited resources eroded early momentum, and by early 2025, Ukraine’s territorial gains had stalled, with both sides entrenched and the war’s end nowhere in sight.
Entous’s detailed narrative reveals how a secret alliance, forged in crisis, became both a tool of resilience and a mirror of its participants’ contradictions, ambitions, and limits.
Entous, Adam. “The Secret History of America’s Involvement in the Ukraine War.” The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2025. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/29/world/europe/us-ukraine-military-war-wiesbaden.html
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Key takeaways:
- A secret U.S.-Ukraine military partnership was launched in Wiesbaden in spring 2022 and became central to Ukraine’s battlefield strategy.
- American intelligence, training, and weapons enabled Ukraine’s early successes against Russian forces.
- Strategic divergences and political rivalries in Ukraine weakened the effectiveness of 2023’s counteroffensive.
- Over time, the U.S. relaxed multiple red lines, eventually allowing missile and intelligence support for operations inside Russian territory.
- Internal Ukrainian political dynamics, particularly the rivalry between Generals Zaluzhny and Syrsky, further complicated the war effort.
- President Trump’s election in 2024 created uncertainty around continued U.S. support, while Biden’s administration sought to secure short-term gains.
- Despite operational achievements, by early 2025 the war had reached a stalemate, with both sides trading small territorial gains.
Notable quotations:
- “They are part of the kill chain now.” – European intelligence chief on U.S. integration into Ukrainian military operations.
- “We told them, ‘The Russians are coming – see ya.’” – U.S. military official, recalling the pre-invasion withdrawal.
- “You can ‘Slava Ukraini’ all you want with other people… Look at the numbers.” – Gen. Donahue to Ukrainian counterparts.
- “We should have walked away.” – Senior American official on the failed 2023 counteroffensive.
- “From where?” – Gen. Cavoli in response to Ukrainian requests for massive supplies.
- “It’s not an existential war if they won’t make their people fight.” – American official on Ukraine’s conscription hesitancy.
- “What is going to happen if President Trump wins?” – Ukrainian leaders’ recurring concern.
Word counts:
Generated summary: 1,181 words
Original article: Approx. 17,300 words
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