Will Russia negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine in good faith, or is total destruction President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal? Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World that the fear among Ukrainians that Russia wants to erase Ukraine’s national identity isn’t just a belief; it’s a fact. Russian officials, including Putin, have been saying as much since the invasion began.
But despite the existential threat, support for the war amongst Ukrainians is flagging, with more citizens open to the idea of a negotiated settlement. Ukrainians are a society under stress, Trofimov says, and everyone knows someone who has been killed or maimed in the war. It’s a tricky balance between individual survival and collective defense in the face of relentless conflict. But Trofimov warns that any peace deal needs to come with solid security guarantees from the US and NATO, or nothing will deter Putin from his true aim: turning all of Ukraine into Russia.
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