“It doesn’t work that way”: Anne Applebaum on idea of “at least some peace”

There will be no peace as long as Russia seeks to seize Ukraine and adheres to the idea that Ukraine is not a separate real state, Polish-American historian and writer Anne Applebaum said in an interview with LB.ua. It is important to remind those who call for “at least some kind of peace,” Applebaum emphasized.

“But the longer Ukraine does not win back significant territories, the longer the counteroffensive lasts, and the more the war, in general, feels like a war of attrition that cannot be won, the more frequent the criticism will be – people want to stop it somehow. And it is more important, of course, to emphasize that this is a wrong choice. It doesn’t work like that: to have at least some kind of peace that will restore stability, at least to a certain extent,” the writer said.

The White House understands that negotiations are impossible now because Russia still wants to conquer all of Ukraine. Applebaum said the truce is a temporary solution to hold the border until Russia builds up its army and invades again.

“It is obvious. Probably, most of the leaders of large European countries are also beginning to realize. But the West is heterogeneous and consists of many countries full of internal differences. So I can’t be responsible for everything. Everywhere there are pro-Ukrainian people and there are pro-Russian people – for example, in Slovakia, where a pro-Russian politician won last week. Part of the US Congress is pro-Russian,” the historian explained.

There is always a struggle of ideas, constant arguments, and debates on this topic. The supporters of continuing this war are winning now, Applebaum said.