Editor, Gazette-Journal:
The negotiations for peace in Ukraine appear to be nearing a crossroad.
Initially Zelenskyy seemed disinterested in peace but has recently indicated he would like to move forward with a ceasefire and ultimately a peace deal. Putin made noises about a deal but continues to attack relentlessly. These attacks are being countered by Ukrainian attacks into Russian territory. Thousands of soldiers and civilians are dying each month on both sides.
We are nearing a point where Trump will have to punish Putin in order to get him to the table, though we are not quite there yet. Trump knows that once you start down that road, it will take some time for the sanctions to produce the desired effect and in the meantime tens of thousands more people will die.
Putin is demanding, among other things, that there be no NATO expansion eastward toward Russia. But that, and a desire for Ukraine to remain “neutral” were part of his initial justification for attacking, and a year later...