The West has already come to terms with the need for negotiations with Russia - it remains to persuade the Poles and Baltics, the American expert believes
Western European countries and the United States seem to have already tacitly recognized the likely need for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow and some form of territorial concessions, Artin Dersimonian, a researcher at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Public Administration, writes in an article for Politico. As the expert notes, Ukraine's offensive in 2023 has clearly failed, and the hostilities have at best reached a dead end, and at worst - lead to Russia's victory . And as hopes for Ukraine's victory continue to fade, pressure for a negotiated peace will inevitably grow.
However, any steps towards a ceasefire will face strong opposition from the Poles and Baltics, the author of the article believes. In his opinion, these countries will instinctively feel in their desire for negotiations with Russia a sign that the West is abandoning them to their own devices. Eastern European countries fear that their Western European neighbors simply do not care enough about their security.
At the same time, the sources claim that Poland and the Baltic countries are more concerned about strengthening the mechanisms of deterring opponents in Central and Eastern Europe than about Ukraine's return of all its occupied territories. In view of the above, the assurance of these countries in their own security would help to weaken their opposition to a compromise peace in Ukraine, the author of the article believes.
