Source: Washington Post
by David Ignatius
“Ukraine and its European supporters want a peace deal, perhaps freezing the current front line, so long as Kyiv gets “security guarantees” for the future. But Russia demands that the West first address ‘root causes’ of the war, which amounts to its own version of a security guarantee. President Donald Trump has tried to find an exit. But his attempts to mediate the conflict by ingratiating himself with Russian President Vladimir Putin have so far been a flop. He’s now considering walking away from negotiations, which would be a severe personal failure for him and a disaster for Ukraine and Europe. Meanwhile, the bloodbath continues. Let’s think about ways out of this deadlock, building on the core question of guaranteeing security. It’s bizarre to talk about security as a future issue when both sides urgently need it now.” (08/28/25)