The Alaska summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin struck an uncanny resemblance to the Washington-Moscow meetings of the Cold War: Two great powers negotiating alone, deciding the course for the world. But 2025 is not 1985. Washington and Moscow cannot simply redraw the map without Ukraine and Europe at the table. Yet as European and American visions of Western democracy drift farther apart, write Jarosław Kuisz and Karolina Wigura in a new Journal of Democracy online exclusive, the path to peace in Ukraine is becoming increasingly uncertain.
How should the war in Ukraine end? And what can the European Union and United States do to force Russia’s hand? The Journal of Democracy essays below offer insights on the war’s impact in the region and why a just peace matters for the future of liberal democracy.
Two Summits, Two Wests
Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska underscored how they see the world in the same way, while highlighting the deepening divisions that are weakening the Western democratic alliance.
Jarosław Kuisz and Karolina WiguraDavid vs. Goliath: Defeating Russian Autocracy
Ukraine versus Russia is a modern David versus Goliath conflict that matters not only for the future of Ukraine, but for that of democracy itself.
Serhii PlokhyWhy Ukraine Shouldn’t Negotiate with Putin
Many pundits cry for a negotiated settlement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But they misunderstand Vladimir Putin’s motives. The only just end to the war will be in the trenches, not at the bargaining table.
Robert PersonHow Ukraine Divides Postcommunist Europe
In East-Central Europe, neither physical proximity nor memories of Soviet domination have united countries in their response to the war in Ukraine. What matters most is who stands to benefit.
Anna Grzymała-BusseWhat Putin Fears Most
Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.
Robert Person and Michael McFaul
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