Ehemaliger britischer Botschafter in Russland: „Wie man mit Putin verhandelt“

The big lesson of both the Cold War and the growing confrontation with Putin is that a coherent alliance approach is key to successful management of the threat. Internal divisions play to Russia’s strengths even when Putin’s position is inherently weak. Here’s how Trump can avoid falling into Putin’s trap:

1. Ukraine’s allies need to refrain from doing Putin’s work for him.

2. Don’t let the Kremlin control the timing or substance of negotiations.

3. Don’t let the Kremlin change the subject, set its own agenda, or create false equivalence.

4. Don’t agree to measures that have the purpose of destabilizing Ukraine.

5. Do plan for what happens after a cease-fire: Russia will certainly seek to undermine Ukraine’s stability, decouple it from its allies, and evade any obligations Russia has taken on.

6. Don’t let ambition to do deals with a strongman damage the alliances that are democracies’ greatest asset in containing threats to our interests.

Written by Laurie Bristow, the U.K. ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020 and to Afghanistan from June to November 2021.