JRL NEWSWATCH: “Negotiations can’t end the Russia-Ukraine war until one side has lost” – Los Angeles Times
“… A negotiated solution would … have dire consequences for civilians trapped under Russian occupation. … Ukraine would be expected to give up not just land, but also people. Virtually every settlement … liberated by Ukraine reveals horrifying evidence of torture chambers, large-scale sexual violence, murders of civilians, disappearances and countless other crimes. … Any cease-fire or a peace deal in which Russia keeps parts of Ukrainian territory would allow this genocide to continue …. At this juncture, any negotiated solution is doomed to fail simply because it is unrealistic. … [I]t is reasonable to expect Russia to use diplomacy as a cover to rest, rearm, better prepare and strike again. … Ukraine would understandably also rest, rearm and prepare to repel the expected next Russian assault. … Diplomacy will become viable only when one … side[] becomes too weak to keep fighting and gives up claims …. Instead of stopping the bloodshed, any premature diplomatic initiative will just sow the seeds of a future war.”