Almost since the moment Russia launched its war in Ukraine in February 2022, the world has wondered: How does this end? For the first few weeks, it appeared that Russia might succeed with its initial war aims and take Kyiv and install a government friendly to Moscow. Such a scenario is now off the table, thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s faulty assumptions, the courage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, and the Russian military’s unimpressive performance on the battlefield. But as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive, it remains unclear how the fighting will stop and when each country’s leader will be willing to negotiate.

Foreign Affairs Editor Daniel Kurtz-Phelan and authors Samuel Charap, Fiona Hill, and Andriy Zagorodnyuk mark the launch of the July/August issue with a discussion of possible endgames in Ukraine. This conversation originally aired on July 17, 2023.

Additional Resources:
"An Unwinnable War" by Samuel Charap
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/unwinnable-war-washington-endgame

"The Kremlin's Grand Delusions" by Fiona Hill and Angela Stent
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/kremlins-grand-delusions

"To Protect Europe, Let Ukraine Join NATO—Right Now" by Andriy Zagorodnyuk
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/protect-europe-let-ukraine-join-nato-right-now

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