Putin invaded Ukraine not out of any material reason like economic interest or force projection, but of the spiritual conviction that Russia cannot be whole without Kyiv

Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible and on his terms. Will Putin accept an American-brokered peace or continue fighting?

Harry Truman sought to end the Korean War years before it settled into a bloody stalemate characterized by attritional warfare. Could Trump be attempting something similar with Ukraine?

Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible is in keeping with the just war criteria of only supporting wars that can be won, however clear the morality of the conflict

The United States never legally recognized the Soviet occupation of the Baltics, and neither should America recognize Russia’s annexation of eastern Ukraine

A “peace at all costs” attitude belies that an unjust, strategically unsound peace that just kicks the can down the road will be no peace at all

Ending conflicts is all well and good, but only if the peace is durable, reasonable, and within the national interest

Former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan’s account of his time in Moscow during and after the invasion of Ukraine is essential reading for understanding the lead-up to Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine

Recent remarks by Vice President J.D. Vance in his February 14 interview with The Wall Street Journal signal a smart and realistic approach to US efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.