Pentagon Informs Allies Prepare For "Protracted" War In Ukraine

The full-scale war in Ukraine lately blew past four years and six months since February 24, 2022, and has also long been a proxy conflict, pitting the US and NATO against Russia. Beyond this, there's been what can be described as a raging 'dirty war' stretching back over 12 years since at least February 2014.

Lest anyone think this is an exaggeration, or that it's not actually a deep proxy and covert shadow war as well, it is worth revisiting our prior widely viewed report from 2024: CIA Built "12 Secret Spy Bases" In Ukraine & Waged Shadow War For Last Decade, Bombshell NYT Report Confirms.

Embroiled in a seemingly unwinnable Iran war and increasing quagmire, President Trump badly needs a 'win' in terms of winding down major foreign conflicts, and so this month there's been a return to intensified diplomacy on the Ukraine war, for which envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were dispatched to both Moscow and then Kiev.

It seems that prior to this week, as White House and global attention was purely consumed with the Iran war, and Hormuz-related global energy crisis, the US administration left deep state bureaucrats in charge of running the day-to-day on American involvement in Ukraine. It's no wonder why long-range drone operations deep into Russian territory have grown more and more brazen, clearly having Western intelligence targeting assistance.

Now, enter US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, who has informed Washington's European allies to prepare for a "protracted" war in Ukraine and to keep the pipeline of US-made weapons to Ukrainian forces going. This all certainly is a contradiction on its surface, but is part of the ongoing US policy folly of 'escalate to de-escalate'.

"As President Trump has stated, our goal is a lasting peace. We are supporting every effort in that direction. From the standpoint of the Department of War, however, we cannot predict when this tragic war will end," Colby said Tuesday in virtual address to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

The Defense Contact Group was formed under a Biden - and not a Trump - initiative, ironically enough. It has coordinated and overseen the flow of weapons among allies to Ukraine since its formation in 2022.

"As you all well know, Russia is reconstituting its forces and defense-industrial capacity. We must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine’s requirements to persist in the months and years ahead. And we must also be prepared for other plausible contingencies as well," he added.

...So now Washington is settling in for yet more grinding and bloody "years ahead" in supporting Ukrainians on the battlefield.

Colby further said the situation "makes it all the more important for Europe to sustain support for Ukraine while also accelerating its own rearmament and reindustrialization."

"First, Europe must continue — and where necessary increase — support for Ukraine’s immediate battlefield requirements through PURL. The continued flow of munitions and critical capabilities is effective; it remains essential to enabling Ukrainian forces to hold the front line and deny further Russian advances," Colby laid out.

“Second, Europe must plan now for sustained procurement that supports both Ukraine's long-term force reconstitution and Europe’s own defense requirements,” he added.

Colby had before joining the Trump administration been an open skeptic of the US pouring so many billions into Ukraine, arguing that the Taiwan-China issue should be a much bigger and long-term priority.

For example, back in 2023 he was giving foreign policy talks called "The Case for Prioritizing Taiwan Over Ukraine" in which he argued that "if America continues to divide and distribute valuable resources to Ukraine and the Middle East, all it will do is detract from adequately addressing the largest threat to America and the world." The 'threat' in his estimation is China potential future conquest and hold over Taiwan.