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My Peace Plan for Ukraine
A look at an unjust but realistic path to peace for Ukraine
Peace in Ukraine isn’t difficult to define in principle: Russia pulls out, and the war ends. That would be a just peace. But reality is messier. The alternative to justice is capitulation — Trump’s so-called “peace,” which is really just Ukraine’s surrender.
Neither is realistic. So what does a realistic peace for Ukraine look like?
The Cold, Hard Limits of Peace Talks
First, NATO membership is off the table. Russia will never accept that. At the same time, Ukraine won’t accept security guarantees that leave it vulnerable, allowing Russia time to regroup for another invasion.
Russia is a menace to world order. In an ideal scenario, the West would have invaded, unseated Putin, and begun a full-scale democratization process like post-WWII Germany. But Russia’s nuclear arsenal makes that impossible. Justice is out of reach, and compromise is necessary.
