The Ukraine War Prospect:
How Peace Plans Might Work... and Why They Will Fail
Carl Conetta, Project on Defense Alternatives, 12 January 2026 - Full Text: HTML -- PDF
During 2025 multiple contending Ukraine peace proposals were put forward by the Trump administration and America’s European partners. This article examines how these efforts fell short. And it presents two, simpler proposals better aligned with battlefield realities. The article also explores the evolution of US, Ukrainian, Russian, and West European public opinion on the war.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been a disaster – not only for the two principal combatants, who together have suffered 300,000 deaths, but for the entire world. This fact drives the imperative to end this conflict forthwith via negotiated compromise. Yet, none of the official proposals embrace this goal. Instead, all seek to win advantage for one side or the other. They are continuations of war by diplomatic means, not alternative paths. And so, the interminable war burns on.
The simplest proposals may be the most practicable but these must reflect current battlefield realities rather than attempting to “correct” or “re-balance” them. This principle guides the independent cease-fire options suggested in this article. Otherwise, the article explores the possibility that Europe’s so-called "Coalition of the Willing" will respond to any serious fracture of Kyiv’s effort – a distinct possibility – by establishing a new nuclearized Europe-vs-Russia “central front” inside Ukraine. (With an Appendix summarizing the official 2025 peace proposal texts.)
PROJECT ON DEFENSE ALTERNATIVES
Cambridge MA - Washington DC
~~
186 Hampshire St.
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
USA