The defeat of Russian forces near Kyiv — and the trail of atrocities they left behind — have fueled a Western willingness to provide Ukraine with military aid once thought too provocative and cumbersome for a war Russia was expected to win in weeks.
Why it matters: Fears of angering a nuclear-armed Vladimir Putin or undermining peace talks with the Russian president have faded. Most NATO allies are now giving Ukraine whatever it needs to prevail in Act Two: a bloody, protracted battle expected in the eastern Donbas region.
