How to Arm Ukraine for Negotiations

2 comments

1. Analyzing the results and implications of recent US efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Senior Fellow Michael McFaul argues in *Foreign Affairs* that the order of negotiations with the two parties will be of paramount importance going forward. “Trump and his team must first reach an agreement on security guarantees among Ukraine, other European countries, and the United States,” McFaul writes. “Only then should Washington encourage a conversation between Zelensky and Putin about de facto territorial concessions that could bring an end to the war.” Concluding that ending the war remains a “long shot,” the former ambassador to Russia says that solid US and European security guarantees are the foundation of any lasting peace. McFaul suggests that exact details of a security arrangement could be kept secret pending Putin-Zelensky border talks; but getting “the order right” in these negotiations will be the first step in successful US mediation. In McFaul’s view, “Forcing Ukraine to cede territory before negotiating security guarantees could embolden Putin to restart the war to derail further talks.”

2. I get the point that a lot of people are tired of endless debates on how to handle Ukraine, but honestly this whole idea of arming Ukraine only for the sake of forcing them into negotiations feels kind of backwards. If the US or Europe gives weapons just to push Kyiv to the table, then Russia will read that as weakness and just stall until they can regroup. The only way negotiations even mean anything is if Ukraine actually has leverage, and that means they need to be able to hit back hard and not look desperate.

   Peace that comes from pressure on the weaker side is not durable, it just sets up the next round of fighting. If Trump or anyone else wants to broker a deal that lasts, they should stop thinking of Ukraine like a pawn and more like an actual partner. Because the more Ukraine feels abandoned, the more likely they will dig in or refuse compromises, and that drags the war out even longer.

Comments are closed.