Proxy war in ruins: How U.S. and NATO led Ukraine to disaster

On Aug. 12, Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had discussed preparations for an Aug. 15 summit in Alaska between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed the meeting, saying the talks would center on a “long-term peaceful settlement” to the conflict, with a future round potentially taking place on Russian soil.

The tides of war in Ukraine have shifted decisively. Russia’s military is surging across eastern Ukraine, smashing through heavily fortified lines while the Ukrainian government teeters on the edge of collapse. These developments expose the inherent failure of U.S.-NATO proxy warfare.

Russia advances, Ukraine on the brink

The summer of 2025 has seen the most significant Russian military gains since the war began. In early August, Moscow’s forces captured the heavily fortified city of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, after over a year of bitter fighting. This was followed by a breakthrough into the Dnipropetrovsk region, a key industrial and population hub that had been out of Russia’s reach for three years.

Russian forces, using overwhelming firepower — including over 1,300 FAB bombs in a single push — have breached Ukraine’s second Donbass defensive line. 

Even Western media are acknowledging the scale of the shift. The New York Times’ July 19 report on “Why Russia Is Gaining Ground in Ukraine,” says that Russia’s combination of troop numbers, air superiority, and artillery dominance has produced its largest monthly territorial gains since early 2025. Ukrainian brigades, some reduced to fewer than 100 soldiers covering miles of front, are crumbling under the pressure.

Political crisis in Kiev

The military collapse is being mirrored by political turmoil at home. Facing catastrophic casualties and a recruitment crisis, the Zelensky government has turned to coercive conscription — dragging men off the streets and raising the age barrier to pull in older recruits, some over 60 years old.

Protests are growing in Kiev, Odessa, Lviv, and Dnipro. Anger at corruption erupted in late July, with mass demonstrations demanding the reinstatement of anti-corruption agencies. In a surreal scene, Ukrainian lawmakers brawled in parliament before voting unanimously to restore the agencies they had recently disbanded.

The reality is stark: Zelensky’s government survives only through U.S. and NATO backing, and with that support now politically unstable in Washington and Europe, its legitimacy is rapidly eroding.

Washington’s desperation

The White House’s response has oscillated between erratic escalation and empty bravado. Instead of “peace in 24 hours” (as promised), President Trump’s administration has advanced new arms shipments, including $300 million worth of Patriot missile batteries. Not satisfied with merely fueling the bloodshed, Trump shortened his ultimatum to Putin from “50 days” to “10,” and provocatively deployed U.S. nuclear submarines off Russia’s coast.

Yet these gestures, born of imperial hubris and panic, are unlikely to reverse the battlefield realities. Russia’s advantage expands daily; Ukraine’s forces are outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. The only rational outcome — should Washington step back from the brink — is Russian victory and the collapse of the U.S. / NATO proxy project.

The proxy war’s failure

From the start, the Ukraine conflict was never just about Ukraine. It was a U.S.-NATO project aimed at weakening Russia and expanding imperialist control in Eastern Europe. Billions of dollars in weapons and economic aid were funneled into Kiev to advance the interests of imperialist finance capital.

Now, with the Ukrainian army collapsing and Russia on the offensive, the mask has slipped. The war has bled Ukraine white, devastated its economy, and turned its population into cannon fodder. The people of Ukraine have paid the price — while Western arms manufacturers and energy giants have reaped historic profits.

What comes next?

With Ukraine’s military near collapse and its government fracturing, the war’s trajectory is clear: Russia will prevail. The only question is whether the U.S. and NATO will recklessly escalate further, risking a global conflict, or accept that their proxy war has failed.

For now, the suffering continues — while Russia advances, Ukraine crumbles, and the U.S. scrambles for a way out.