Irreconcilable positions of Russia and Ukraine with its Western backers risk prolonging conflict, as ceasefire may freeze war.
Author
Anuradha Chenoy, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India; Transnational Institute, Netherlands
Summary
The Russia–Ukraine war continues to escalate amid irreconcilable positions between Russia and the US–Europe bloc, with no meaningful peace talks in sight. Russia insists on Ukraine’s neutrality, territorial concessions, and a revised European security architecture, while Western proposals demand restoration of Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders, NATO integration, and reparations from Moscow conditions Russia rejects. The conflict is further complicated by internal divisions within the US, where competing pressures from strategic, economic, and political interests shape an inconsistent approach. On the ground, Russia appears to hold a military advantage, reducing incentives for compromise, while continued Western military and financial support sustains Ukraine’s resistance. Expanding sanctions, including secondary measures affecting countries like India, have broader global economic implications, particularly in energy markets, highlighting tensions over strategic autonomy. With both sides unwilling to concede and escalating militarisation including advanced weapon systems and drone warfare the conflict risks becoming prolonged, deepening human, economic, and environmental costs, and increasing the danger of a wider, potentially irreversible global crisis.
Published in: Economic and Political Weekly
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