The Case for Diplomacy in Ukraine


By Katrina vanden Heuvel and James W. Carden

As 2023 unfolds, we fear that American policy will continue to be characterized by both mission creep and the absence of any sort of diplomatic engagement with Russia.

Throughout the course of the war, the Biden administration has slowly, steadily, even stealthily increased America’s involvement. Calls from Kiev for more and more weapons have, at every turn, been met with President Biden’s acquiescence. Meantime, Congress has continued in its decades-long abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, opting instead to act as a rubber stamp on ever-increasing amounts of financial and military assistance to Ukraine. All the while, Kiev’s appetite has grown larger with the eating.

First went the Javelin anti-tank missiles, sent to Ukraine by President Donald Trump. Then came the Russian invasion and demands for M777 Howitzers; and Bradley fighting vehicles; and Patriot missiles; and HIMARS; and NSAMS; and M1 Abrams tanks; and long-range GLSDBs.

Kiev is now demanding the delivery of F-16s fighter jets.

Will we soon see the demand for American ground troops? If so, will we witness any political will in Washington to refuse such a request?

Whatever the case, it is worth keeping in mind that the true beneficiaries of Washington’s spending bonanza have been executives in the C-suites of Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics, as well as those companies that are part of the network of what we might term “soft-power for-profits.”

Withal, there remains an alternative path the Biden administration might take as the year unfolds.

Writing in 1947, at the beginning of the first Cold War, the journalist and grand strategist Walter Lippmann observed that, “The history of diplomacy is the history of relations among rival powers, which did not enjoy political intimacy, and did not respond to appeals to common purposes. Nevertheless, there have been settlements.”

American diplomacy has too often been an exercise in strong-arming our friends (should they dare question Washington’s prerogatives) or toppling (either covertly or overtly) our perceived enemies, under Mr. Biden and his immediate predecessors, the practice of American diplomacy has been discounted and marginalized; even, thanks to the effects of the largely contrived Russiagate scandal, criminalized.

And while it is true that the ultimate responsibility for the war in Ukraine falls on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, it is painful to recall that Mr. Biden and his predecessors were presented with numerous opportunities to avoid the current catastrophe.

Yet when presented with such opportunities, to back the Minsk peace process for instance, Washington has unfailingly demurred. When presented with a mainly reasonable draft treaty by the Russians in December of 2021, the Biden administration refused to even consider it. When presented with peace plans after the war began, Washington and its allies channeled the spirit of Melville’s Bartleby and declared that they would “prefer not to.”

At this juncture, with Russia at the start of a new offensive, we believe diplomatic engagement is the only moral and realistic policy available to President Biden and his advisors.

We hope they pursue it.

Author Bios:

Katrina vanden Heuvel is the president of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord (ACURA), and editorial director and publisher of the Nation. She writes a weekly column at the Washington Post and is a frequent commentator on U.S. and international politics for Democracy Now, PBS, ABC, MSNBC and CNN.

James W. Carden served as an advisor to the Special Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs at the State Department during the Obama administration and has been a frequent contributor to publications on the left, right, and center. He is a member of the board of ACURA.

Credit Line: This article is distributed by Globetrotter in partnership with ACURA.


750 thoughts on “The Case for Diplomacy in Ukraine

  1. [url=https://forum.zaymex.ru/forums/fludilka.14/]смотреть онлайн бесплатно[/url] – кредитные карты, отзывы мфо

  2. [url=https://www.btc24cash.ru/]Exchanged Bitcoin with negative AML for USDT without commission[/url] – No aml check, Solve any problems with cryptocurrency

  3. We’ve seen significant improvements after integrating [url=https://arroyostrategy.com]procurement efficiency[/url] into our procurement processes.

  4. [url=https://yvision.kz/community/elektromobili]лучшие электромобили 2024[/url] – кулинарные лайфхаки, розыгрыши подарков

  5. [url=https://yvision.kz/community/politics]политические деятели Казахстана[/url] – уроки шахмат, цены на авто из Китая

  6. нажмите, чтобы подробнее [url=https://xn--90aipggcf.org]Обменко отзывы[/url] – Обменко отзывы, Обменко

  7. helpful hints
    [url=https://www.reddit.com/user/AlanaMcdowell/comments/1dqewao/what_do_you_think_about_kreativstorm/]Kreativstorm[/url]

  8. [url=https://kupit.auto-msk.top]купить права в гаи цена[/url] – помощь в сдачи экзаменов, получить права категории а

  9. [url=https://kupit.auto-msk.top]водительские права без предоплаты[/url] – получить права на вождение автомобиля, водительские права нового образца

  10. [url=https://t.me/ruanabol_org]Фармаком Лабс[/url] – Анаболические стероиды, Анаболические стероиды

  11. [url=https://forum.zaymex.ru/forums/kreditnye-karty.8/]кредитные карты[/url] – лучшие фильмы смотреть онлайн, отзывы мфо

  12. [url=https://azimutelematika.ru/]Контроль температуры[/url] – Идентификация водителей, Мониторинг

  13. [url=https://azimutelematika.ru/]снижение расходов на Платон[/url] – Оснащение лесной техники, Контроль топлива

  14. find here [url=https://skinsli.com/products/elizavecca-witch-piggy-hell-pore-bifida-pure-ample]Elizavecca Witch Piggy Hell Pore Bifida Pure Ample[/url]

  15. try this site [url=https://skinsli.com/products/benton-goodbye-redness-centella-powder-wash-80-g]Benton goodbye Redness Centella Powder Wash[/url]

  16. перенаправляется сюда

    [url=https://pincokazno.org/]узнать больше[/url]

  17. посмотреть в этом разделе [url=https://t.me/ozempicg/]семаглутид таблетки инструкция +по применению[/url]

  18. [url=https://kra—34.at]kraken официальный сайт[/url] – kra34, кракен официальная ссылка

  19. перейдите на этот сайт [url=https://t.me/mounjaro_tirzepatide/]оземпик купить +в москве +и московской[/url]

  20. have a peek at this website
    [url=https://www.matchlink.asia/th/business/page/Thailand/SAMUTPRAKAN/06025-asia-global-aviation-maintenance-co-ltd.html]ASIA GLOBAL AVIATION MAINTENANCE[/url]

  21. helpful hints
    [url=https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/floyd-zadkovich/episodes/Thrust-Into-Trouble-An-Engine-Deal-Hijacked-by-Fraud-e359e3a]siam aero[/url]

  22. these details
    [url=https://cms-lawnow.com/en/ealerts/2025/06/dealings-at-a-distance-fraud-risks-in-the-aviation-sector-and-beyond]siam aero[/url]

  23. his response
    [url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sky-kingdom-co-ltd-official_welcome-to-sky-kingdom-your-gateway-to-activity-7287504607151337472-zTiW]sky kingdom aviation[/url]

  24. image source
    [url=https://www.flightglobal.com/preview.html?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flightglobal.com%2Fstory.aspx%3FstoryCode%3D164178%26preview%3D1%26hash%3D0C395D6B2362A0D0E8A42D2A3DB824C4]Sky Kingdom bangkok[/url]

  25. выберите ресурсы
    [url=https://vodkabet.kz/]vodkabet премиум онлайн казино[/url]

  26. ссылка на сайт
    [url=https://vodkabet.kz]vodkabet премиум онлайн казино[/url]

  27. опубликовано здесь
    [url=https://vodkabet-mel.com]vodkabet прямо сейчас[/url]

  28. Крупнейший [url=https://lerosa.com.br]кракен даркнет[/url] маркетплейс работает с 2020 года, обеспечивая защиту всех транзакций покупателей.

  29. Безопасный [url=https://lerosa.com.br]вход на кракен даркнет[/url] требует проверки SSL сертификата и сверки адреса зеркала.

  30. посмотреть в этом разделе
    [url=https://vodkabet-mel.com/]vodka премиум онлайн казино[/url]

  31. I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to be exactly what I’m
    looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
    I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating
    on a few of the subjects you write about here.

    Again, awesome web log!

  32. В нашем ассортименте представлены и классические, и современные варианты ковров для любого интерьера.
    [url=https://amikovry.uk/]Ковры дешево[/url]
    Покупка ковра в нашем интернет магазине — это просто, удобно и выгодно.

  33. Вы можете выбрать игры различных жанров и форматов.
    [url=https://7v4.casino/]Pinco Casino[/url]
    Сайт адаптирован для мобильных устройств и ПК.

  34. [url]http://jangwooyoung.kr/bbs/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=104430[/url]
    [url]https://angdesh.com/author/janessafria/[/url]
    [url]https://mygastricbypassstory.com/forums/topic/vodka-casino-2/[/url]
    [url]https://usa-tv.ru/user/MilesBancks5539/[/url]
    [url]http://sungshimsa.co.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=282239[/url]

  35. Sur [url=https://dragonia-casino-24.fr]https://dragonia casino[/url], je cherche avant tout un bon mйlange de video slots, de jeu instantanй et d’infos bonus claires.

  36. ссылка на сайт [url=https://xyeta.store/order/youtube-kommentarii/kommentarii-vysokoe-kachestvo-rossiya]накрутка комментариев РЅР° ютубе РІ СЃРЅРі[/url]

  37. [url=https://www.facebook.com/share/186n6EDn4m/?mibextid=wwXIfr]Casas de madera[/url] – Construcción de casas en Cataluña, Segunda residencia

  38. [url=https://www.facebook.com/share/186n6EDn4m/?mibextid=wwXIfr]Construcción de casas[/url] – Construcción industrializada, Casa eficiente

  39. [url=https://www.instagram.com/emproconstruction?igsh=NzdkYWJ4d2NvNHU1&utm_source=qr]Diseño moderno[/url] – Materiales naturales, Madera certificada

  40. official source [url=https://scroll.network/resources/crypto-mobile-wallet-security-solved-by-scroll-wallet-2026]crypto mobile wallet security[/url]

  41. посмотреть в этом разделе [url=https://deevki.ru/]снять однокомнатную квартиру в москве собственником[/url]

  42. подробнее здесь [url=https://deevki.ru/]снять двухкомнатную квартиру в москве недорого[/url]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *