The United States must change its approach to the war in Ukraine by adopting a "maximum pressure" strategy to compel Russia to come to the negotiating table.
This opinion was expressed by political analyst Alina Polyakova in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine.
Polyakova notes that U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has every chance of achieving a peace agreement with the Kremlin; however, for this to happen, Washington must shift the focus of its policy. To attain sustainable peace in Ukraine, the U.S. needs to set the stage for negotiations with Russia through stronger leverage.
"Trump's second White House is well-prepared to implement a strategy that achieves just that: a maximum pressure campaign. During his first term, Trump employed such an approach against Iran. Now, to achieve peace and restore U.S. global leadership in the face of rising authoritarian aggression, he must apply the same strategy to Russia," the analyst states.
Polyakova is convinced that the primary task for the U.S. in the current situation should not only be to maximize pressure on Russia but also to increase the Kremlin's expenses for waging war. In particular, she urges Washington to intensify sanctions against Russian financial and banking institutions and to use secondary sanctions to penalize countries aiding Russia, such as China and Iran.
"Such restrictions are particularly effective because they force companies outside Russia, or other countries doing business with Russia, to choose between Washington and Moscow—most will decide to maintain access to the large U.S. market rather than the shrinking Russian one," Polyakova writes.
The expert also emphasizes that, in conjunction with the campaign of economic and military pressure, the U.S. should exert political pressure on European allies regarding the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine and focus efforts on strengthening military aid to Ukraine. However, she suggests putting Ukraine's NATO membership on hold when it comes to achieving a ceasefire agreement.
Source: foreignaffairs.