The UK is signaling it may ask its people to accept a war footing against Russia, even as the US pushes for peace in Ukraine — bad news for anyone hoping the conflict is winding down.

• A top British general says UK leaders will soon have a "frank conversation" with citizens about needing soldiers for war, even though mobilization moves are already underway.
• This comes despite US efforts to force a peace deal in Ukraine, creating a split between Washington and London on how to handle Russia.
• The underlying fear is that the 80-year postwar security and economic order is cracking apart as the US pivots attention toward East Asia and its own hemisphere, leaving Europe worried about being sidelined.
• One strategy floated is backing a "battle-hardened" Ukraine as a long-term buffer against Russia, but that plan risks backfiring — a losing war could leave an angry Russia on Europe's border and a Ukraine so resentful of being used that it turns against its European backers.

Outlook: Expect growing tension between the US push for peace and European, especially UK, moves toward deeper military mobilization against Russia.