As Europe’s largest conflict since World War II rages in Ukraine, top aides in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden are increasingly convinced it could provide the U.S. with an unexpected advantage — against China.
U.S. officials see the conflict’s toll and the slew of sanctions placed on Moscow as leaving Russia hobbled for years to come. Combined with bolstered European defense spending, that means the U.S. may have a freer hand to accelerate its long-term shift toward focusing on China, viewed as America’s biggest future challenge, according to several officials.
The officials acknowledge that the war’s outcome is uncertain. And previous attempts to channel U.S. government attention toward Asia have ended up derailed by events in the Middle East and elsewhere, including former President Barack Obama’s "pivot” to Asia.