Virtual: Trump and Ukraine: Prolonging or ending the war

President-elect Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly, but that could prove impossible. Ukraine recently relaxed its demand to reclaim all its land in any settlement deal—but only if it gets NATO membership, surely a poison pill for Russia, whose recent battlefield success makes its leaders less likely to compromise. Meanwhile the war continues to escalate. North Koreans forces joined the fight in Kursk, President Biden recently authorized the use of U.S.-supplied missiles to shoot at targets inside Russia, and Russia responded with a ballistic missile attack and new threats of nuclear escalation.

For now, the question is less if peace is near and more whether the sides will even start directly negotiating. And, if negotiations occur, will the sides cling to demands the other will surely reject? What can or should the United States or NATO do to address Ukraine and Russia’s security concerns? What role should NATO-Europe play in deterring Russia in a post-war scenario?