The US Can’t Pretend That Putin Is Ready for Peace
The Russian president is resisting even a favorable ceasefire offer. If the White House wants to secure a lasting agreement, it needs to toughen the terms.
Art of the deal.
Source: Office of the President of Ukraine/Getty Images
The White House deserves credit for revitalizing diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. In its haste for a deal, however, its proposals have too often looked indistinguishable from a surrender on Russia’s terms. If the US wants to secure a lasting peace, it will need to put forward a more credible offer — and, most important, increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept.
According to multiple reports, American negotiators have offered up a ceasefire plan that would leave Russia in de facto control of almost all the Ukrainian territory it currently occupies. In addition to land, Putin would win substantial sanctions relief. The US may also formally recognize Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.