Should Ukraine Negotiate?
Many have called on Ukraine to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, however, let’s explore why this may not currently be possible. Throughout its history, Russia has tried to expand its boarder westward to form a buffer against European powers. During the Soviet Union, this buffer extended all the way to east Germany. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia lost its buffer, and instead it tried to prevent its newly independent, neighbouring states from joining western institutions. In February 2014, when Ukraine sought closer ties with the European union. Russia invaded and annexed Crimea and heavily backed a separatist movement in the Donbass, beginning the Russo Ukrainian war. In February 2022, when Ukraine sought NATO membership. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, seeking to bring Ukraine under its control. In September 2022, Russia annexed Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts in Ukraine, without even controlling all of this territo...