New talks were held this week between U.S. peace envoy Steve Witkoff, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sadly, hopes that these discussions will bring an end to the Ukraine war are unfounded.

Ukraine wants to end the war with a guarantee it can defend itself in the future alongside direct Western military support. Putin wants to bring Ukraine under Russian control, if not now, then in five or 10 years. Strong Western guarantees would prevent Putin from achieving that goal, while weak guarantees would leave him free to pursue it through another war.

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