Opinion: A recent op-ed suggested that President Biden should push Ukraine to make a key concession to Russia. Here's why that would be a huge mistake.
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is former President of Estonia and a guest professor at Tartu University, the national university of Estonia.
Charap posits that violating U.S. principles in this manner is necessary to prevent a conflict, as the U.S. is out of viable options for pressuring Russia. We disagree strongly. It would be wrong both morally and strategically to force Ukrainians to make concessions while Putin is holding a gun to their heads. It would damage U.S. credibility, weaken President Joe Biden politically and diplomatically and hurt U.S.-Ukrainian relations, as well as America’s standing with other allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the opening of two power units in Russia on Dec. 22, 2015. | Photo courtesy of AP Images. Pressuring Ukraine would also damage the Euro-Atlantic architecture that has more or less kept the peace on the continent for the past seven-plus decades. Various international conventions — the UN Charter , the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter — forbid the use of force to change borders, yet that is exactly what Putin did when he illegally annexed Crimea and then invaded Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Putin built up a threatening military presence on Ukraine’s border this past spring, and Biden responded by inviting the Russian leader to a summit. Putin seems eager to hold another summit,. Meeting on the world stage one-on-one means a lot to Putin as it elevates his stature and equalizes his relationship with the United States. Biden met with Putin without any preconditions in June.
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