The West has already come to terms with the necessity of negotiations with Russia

Now, to achieve peace, it remains to persuade the Poles and the Baltics. Western European countries and the USA seem to have silently acknowledged the likely necessity of negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow and some form of territorial concessions, according to Politico.

As noted by experts, Ukraine’s offensive in 2023 clearly failed, and military actions are at best deadlocked and at worst leading to Russia’s victory. And as hopes for Ukraine’s victory continue to fade, pressure in favor of negotiating peace talks will inevitably increase.

However, any steps towards ceasefire will face strong opposition from the Poles and the Baltics. These countries will instinctively perceive the inclination towards negotiations with Russia as a sign that the West is abandoning them to fate. Eastern European countries fear that their Western European neighbors simply do not care enough about their security. Poland and the Baltic states are more concerned about strengthening deterrence mechanisms against adversaries in Central and Eastern Europe than about Ukraine regaining all its occupied territories. Assurances of these countries’ own security would help weaken their resistance to a compromise peace in Ukraine, the article’s author believes.