Ending the Threat of War in Ukraine: A Negotiated Solution

“Forget the cheese — let’s get out of the trap.” – Robert A. Lovett, U.S. secretary of defense, 1951–1953.

The unsolved conflict between Russia and the Ukraine in the Donbas region – and the dispute over the Crimea – represent by far the greatest danger of a new war in Europe, and the greatest risk of a new crisis in relations between the United States and Russia.

Resolving the conflict over Ukraine would help the U.S. and Russia increase the possibility of progress on wider issues – nuclear arms reductions, climate change cooperation, stability in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal, cyber security and combating Islamist terrorism. Pursuing a diplomatic compromise ALSO helps the US extricate itself from the potential of a disastrous conflict in which vital American interests are just not engaged.