The Guardian: America needs to start negotiations with Israel and Ukraine

The White House must take a tougher stance against Israel and Ukraine, which are dragging the United States into an “endless war.” This opinion was expressed by Carnegie Endowment analyst Christopher Chivvis in a column for The Guardian.

Its summary:

“The states are in a difficult situation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Washington has provided extensive military support to both, even when their actions are contrary to long-term US interests. A clearer approach is needed.

The United States cannot afford to support Israel in an escalating conflict that damages America's global reputation, makes it a new target for terrorists, or drags it into a costly and unwinnable war with Iran. Right now, Netanyahu has no plan to avoid these results and is paying lip service to diplomacy.

Netanyahu is challenging Biden more openly than Zelensky. But the gap between his (Zelensky – ed.) war goals and what is best for America is becoming increasingly clear. Ukraine's cause is just and its sovereignty must be preserved, but again, the United States cannot be dragged inch by inch into an endless war, especially one that carries real nuclear risks.

Zelensky is unwilling to take meaningful steps towards a realistic ceasefire. Instead, he presses on, allegedly hoping to regain all lost Ukrainian territory by force of arms.

Earlier this summer, Zelensky even approved an attack on Russia's Kursk region that was so risky that he hid it from the Pentagon (just as Netanyahu last week gave US officials the impression that he was interested in a ceasefire with Lebanon, although in fact he was planning to open a new front in the war).

Meanwhile, the “victory plan” that Zelensky presented to Biden last week was yet another demand for increased arms supplies and the lifting of restrictions on what the US had imposed on him.

Zelensky and Netanyahu fear political disaster if they back down from their hard-line positions. And given that they have so far paid almost no price for ignoring Washington, why would they change course?

To get these troubled friends to align their strategies with US interests, Washington can offer them sweeteners: Ukraine a realistic plan for meeting its post-war security needs; Israel benefits economically from normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia. Both of these options are being explored, but they could require major new military commitments that Washington would be wiser to avoid—full Ukrainian membership in NATO and a U.S. defense treaty with Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, such incentives must be combined with a tougher line (in relation to the authorities of Israel and Ukraine – ed.) on the part of Washington. For starters, the White House should not be shy about publicly stating how it sees U.S. interests, even if they diverge from those of its friends.

The White House may also fear that tough love for Zelensky could harm Kamala Harris' chances of winning among swing voters in Pennsylvania. Will it work? Unclear. Another option would be to condition the levels of military aid to both countries. Some Democrats may shudder at the thought of cutting U.S. military support to Ukraine. But if Ukraine is not prepared to adopt a strategy to end the war in a realistic time frame without dangerously escalating it, cutting support may be the only option to avoid another endless war.”

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