The US needs to start pressuring both Ukraine and Israel to start negotiating to end their wars to avoid being dragged into everlasting conflicts, senior fellow and director of the Carnegie Endowment's American statecraft program Christopher S Chivvis wrote in an opinion piece for The Guardian.
On Ukraine, Chivvis said President Volodymyr Zelensky has yet to take meaningful action toward a realistic ceasefire. "Instead, he presses on ostensibly in hope of recapturing all Ukraine's lost territory by force of arms," Chivvis wrote.
Chivvis recalled how Zelensky earlier this summer approved an attack into Russia's Kursk region that was "so risky he hid it from the Pentagon," and described the "victory plan" that Zelensky recently presented to US President Joe Biden as just another request for more weapons and an end to restrictions on those the US has already provided.
Chivvis argued that the US should offer incentives to Ukraine and Israel to align them with its interests. For Ukraine, that would be a realistic plan for its postwar security. However, this would mean full Ukrainian membership in NATO — a commitment that Washington should avoid, according to Chivvis.
The White House could also condition the levels of military assistance, which might draw opposition from some Democrats, Chivvis argued.
"But unless Ukraine is willing to adopt a strategy to end the war in a realistic timeframe without dangerously escalating it, curtailing support may be the only option to avoid another endless war," Chivvis wrote, noting that Republican proposals to increase pressure simultaneously on the Kremlin and Kyiv could work and should not be ignored by Democrats.
