A familiar scenario on how Putin’s war ends

For more than six months, Vladimir Putin has tormented and destroyed the Ukrainian people, their soil and cities, but suddenly the tone of war has changed. Ukraine is not only defending herself but is recapturing areas Russian troops have invaded and stolen. If this continues, the end of the war could be near. But what kind of an end?

A potential – and familiar – choreography is the following: the aggressor withdraws from all fronts back to their own land but declines to negotiate with the victor, and the situation becomes a frozen impasse.

Doesn’t this resonate with the Israeli-Arab conflict?

The victor was taken hostage by the defeated countries who declined to discuss any peace treaty, because it would tell the world that the “more powerful” should bow to the weaker and the treaty would subject the aggressor to humiliating terms and conditions.

And further, if the situation is frozen, based on the same experience in the Middle East, it could lead to a continuing stalemate and terror attacks against Ukraine from Russian soil.

For the international community, the only option is to push Russia into a peace treaty with Ukraine and to strengthen and enlarge sanctions to target all Russians from the president right down to all her citizens.

The biggest mistake the international community has made with the Palestinian issue is that it hasn’t used its financial and political power to stop the Palestinian Authority from terror, antisemitism and corruption.

A similar indecisiveness and appeasement must not be repeated with Russia.