“The only practical way to stop the actual fighting [in Ukraine] would be to agree on a ceasefire,” writes former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlock, today in Responsible Statecraft. “As principal arms supplier to Ukraine, the U.S. should encourage the Ukrainians to agree to a ceasefire. As the sponsor of the most punitive sanctions on Russia, the U.S. should use its leverage to induce Russia to agree to genuine negotiations during a ceasefire.”
Matlock says the negotiations must be private, and must involve a revival of U.S.-Russia diplomacy that have been hampered by the expulsions of diplomats from both nations.
