UKRAINE RUSSIA: No Fighting End in Sight

<p><strong>Trump’s Position</strong>: Former President Trump indicated he has a "red line" for U.S. involvement in the conflict but won't publicly define it. He believes the U.S. should never have been involved, calling it a "death trap."</p><p><strong>Stalemate in Negotiations</strong>: Despite recent calls and dialogue between global leaders, the positions of Ukraine and Russia have become more entrenched, with little sign of compromise.</p><p><strong>Russian Perspective</strong>: A former British official notes that Russia feels emboldened due to perceived divisions in the West and sees itself as addressing long-standing security concerns, especially NATO's eastward expansion. These concerns date back to the early 2000s.</p><p><strong>Loss of Military Dialogue</strong>: After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, military-to-military dialogue between Russia and the West was cut off. The official believes this was a serious mistake that eliminated valuable channels of understanding and conflict prevention.</p><p><strong>Zelensky's Position</strong>: Ukrainian President Zelensky has firmly rejected Russian demands, vowing never to surrender Ukrainian territory or accept ultimatums.</p><p><strong>Intractable Conflict</strong>: The gap between Russia and Ukraine’s demands remains wide. Russia insists on territorial withdrawals by Ukraine, while Ukraine refuses any concessions.</p><p><strong>Western Limitations</strong>: There's acknowledgment that while the West supports Ukraine, it has not provided enough to ensure a decisive victory. The policy has been to support just enough to resist, but not enough to win outright.</p><p><strong>Inevitable Negotiations</strong>: There’s broad agreement that the war won’t end militarily but through a negotiated settlement. However, the conditions for that remain distant.</p><p><strong>Root Causes Ignored</strong>: The West has largely failed to engage with what Russia views as the root causes of the conflict, such as NATO expansion and security concerns, which has hindered diplomatic solutions.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>