Current state of the Russia-Ukraine forever war

In recent interviews, Sir Bill Browder and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse addressed the state of the Russia-Ukraine War, on which both of them are emphatically pro-Ukraine and anti-Russia in their positioning.

Whitehouse addresses the war around 19:30, emphasizing that the front lines are very much a war-of-attrition situation, in which Ukraine is experiencing small losses but in the process is exacting a large price in Russian casualties. (1)



The financier Bill Browder is one of Vladimir Putin’s least favorite people because of his high-profile campaigns for accountability for Russian state-ordered assassination. He was a leading promoter of the Magnitsky Act (2) that the US Congress passed in 2012, and there was an expanded version enacted in 2016. Meidas Touch recently interviewed Browder: (3)



Now that Trump has gone full Roy Cohn and is calling everybody he doesn’t like “Communist,” it’s worth noting the Browder has an interesting family background, especially for a high-roller financier. His grandfather was Earl Browder (1891-1973), who was Chairman of the US Communist Party (CPUSA) from 1934 to 1945. I posted about this family connection a few years ago.

But apart from that entertaining aside, it was notable to me that Whitehouse, despite being emphatic in his support for Ukraine, described in a matter-of-fact way without holding out any hope for an immediate breakthrough by the Ukrainians.

Browder goes even further and says the most likely outcome is a frozen conflict. With an eventual settlement like that over North and South Korea. And there are lots of reasons to think this is the best solution that is all reasonable or practical for both sides and for other nations affected as well. That doesn’t mean that it’s what will happen. Wars are complicated and very messy.

Notes:

(1) Trump aides ‘don’t see a way out’ of Iran war: Senator Whitehouse. Al Jazeera English YouTube channel 07/26/2026. <https://youtu.be/iVoEJ49MXgc?si=hSiHKVZeW0qJe-3p> (Accessed: 2026-26-07).

(2) The US Global Magnitsky Act: Questions and Answers. Human Rights Watch 09/13/2017. <https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/13/us-global-magnitsky-act> (Accessed: 2026-26-07).