Why does the USA defer to Russia?

In particular, why does the USA seem unwilling to seek victory in Ukraine?

Why does the USA seem unwilling to seek victory in Ukraine? The most likely reason is simply bureaucratic inertia. If you are a 50 old employee of the USA State Department then you began your career in the 1990s. You went to university when Russia was still considered our most serious global competitor. You may have studied the Russian language. You may have studied, and fallen in love with, Russian literature.

By the mid-1990s the official USA goal was to convert Russia into a friend, and this was understandably an exciting project as it was clearly a once-in-a-century chance to improve the prospects of world peace. You wanted to participate in this historic moment. You were glad to be working in the State Department and you felt lucky to be able work towards a better relationship between the USA and Russia.

For awhile it seemed the idea of friendship with Russia was tantalizingly close. When he gained power in 2000, Vladimir Putin gave several speeches where he emphasized the need for peace. Even a few years later, when Putin no longer seemed committed to peace, you were still hoping to revive the old dream.

By the time the 2014 invasion of Ukraine occurred, you were almost 20 years into a career that had mostly been focused on the idea of building a partnership with Russia. You still had many Russian friends who worked in different parts of the Russian government, you could call them up, go out to dinner, drink vodka together, quote Russian literature to each other, and reaffirm your personal relationship to a Russian, even if there were strains between your governments. You could ignore, for a moment, the possibility that their friendship with you was part of some deliberate plan. Regarding Russia, multiple USA Presidents all pursued the same idea, and you were honored to pursue a goal that had bipartisan support.

But now you are in your 50s. Russia has launched a full scale genocidal war to eliminate Ukraine. You can either admit that your entire career has been a waste and a joke, or you can double down and re-commit to the old idea of a partnership with Russia.

Just then, as you are having these grim thoughts, you are invited to a meeting with President Biden. And during the meeting, he turns to you and asks for your advice. What exactly should he do? And so you tell him: “Don’t be too hard on Russia, there is still a chance for peace!”

And so the USA’s willingness to stand up to Russia is crippled by a whole generation of bureaucrats in the State Department, who based their whole career on the idea that we could build a friendship with Russia.