Back Ukraine Diplomacy With Deterrence
No peace settlement will last unless Russia fears that resuming hostilities would land it in a fight with the US and its allies.
Art of the deal.
Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Getty Images
With high-stakes summits in Anchorage and Washington, the White House has injected new energy into efforts to end Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine. But, as the days since have made clear, to achieve a lasting peace this must be the start of a new US commitment to Ukrainian and European security, not the end.
The recent flurry of diplomacy at first appeared to yield progress on two fronts. After meetings on Monday between American, European and Ukrainian leaders, the US agreed to help provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a final peace deal. European nations have begun working out what form those assurances will take and what forces they can provide. Separately, talk of a possible bilateral meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin intensified.