Sooner or later, the West will have to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While a ceasefire in Ukraine will fall far short of resolving national grievances on both sides, it is the only realistic way to alleviate the suffering of those most affected by the war.
MADRID – Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to change the course of history. But his plan – a war against Ukraine aimed at partly redressing the Soviet Union’s dissolution, which he called “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century” – is doomed to fail. Even if Russia manages to revive its failing military campaign, whatever gains it makes will amount to a Pyrrhic victory that will do little to support Putin’s claims of Russian greatness.
MADRID – Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to change the course of history. But his plan – a war against Ukraine aimed at partly redressing the Soviet Union’s dissolution, which he called “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century” – is doomed to fail. Even if Russia manages to revive its failing military campaign, whatever gains it makes will amount to a Pyrrhic victory that will do little to support Putin’s claims of Russian greatness.