No negotiated peace possible while Putin in power – Hudson Institute President

No negotiated peace is possible while Putin is in power.

John P. Walters, President and CEO of the Hudson Institute, expressed this view in an analytical article published on the institute’s website, according to Ukrinform.

“The strategy should also recognize that it is a mistake to believe Putin will agree to accept defeat. His rule depends on keeping Russia at war. Short of victory, he cannot end the attacks, return all abducted Ukrainian children, and accept credible, monitored withdrawals and security guarantees. In short, no negotiated peace is possible while Putin is in power,” Walters said.

In his view, U.S. policy toward Russia is based on the dangerous equation of Putin’s capacity for destruction with strategic strength. At the same time, Walters points out that the war has weakened Russia and undermined the ambitions of its leader: rather than subjugating Ukraine, weakening NATO and dividing Europe, it has strengthened Ukrainian national identity, contributed to Finland and Sweden joining the Alliance, and accelerated European rearmament.

The author highlights Ukraine’s extraordinary resilience, military innovation, drones and long-range capabilities, which have inflicted enormous losses on Russian forces. In his view, neither additional territorial gains nor intensified terrorist bombardments are likely to force Ukraine into submission.

“Even replacing President Volodymyr Zelensky would not fundamentally change the strategic reality. Ukraine’s military and potential successors, including General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, will not accept surrender any more than Zelensky,” Walters stressed.

The Hudson Institute CEO points out that Putin’s growing dependence on communist China risks turning Russia into a subordinate partner of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Maintaining Putin, not his fall, makes Xi Jinping a bigger threat to America,” Walters added.

The author warned that the inability to conquer Ukraine could prompt Putin to intensify attacks against Ukraine and Europe. He views Russia-linked sabotage, cyberattacks, intimidation and disinformation as systematic assaults on the sovereignty, critical infrastructure and national security of Western states, laying the groundwork for further escalation.

“The West needs a strategy that recognizes both the dangers of Putin’s strategic weakness and the opportunity created by those weaknesses,” he stressed.

According to the author, the cornerstone of this strategy should be strengthening Ukraine through military, economic and diplomatic assistance. This should convincingly demonstrate that continued Russian aggression will not succeed. To strengthen deterrence, he also proposes redeploying forces capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

At the same time, the Institute’s President called for expanding contacts with Russians capable of contributing to change, including representatives of the current economic elites who do not want to tie their future to Putin. In his view, Western policy should take into account the prospect of Russia after its current ruler and support those prepared to help the country emerge from the strategic failure caused by him.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian negotiating teams will communicate to work out the agenda for a trilateral meeting that could take place in early November, although exact dates have not yet been determined.

Photo: The White House