THURSDAY March 13, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
Western rhetoric on the war in Ukraine often betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the power they are confronting. Russia is not a mere regional player; it is the world’s most heavily armed nuclear state. The failure to respect this reality has led to miscalculations that have prolonged the war and deepened global instability.
Great powers have always dictated their own terms of engagement. The United States was never ordered out of Iraq, Afghanistan, or Vietnam—it withdrew on its own terms, based on its own strategic calculations. Yet when it comes to Russia, the West insists on imposing a different standard, expecting Moscow to bow to external pressure. This is a dangerous miscalculation. Russia takes no orders from anyone, nor does it capitulate under coercion. Until this is understood, any efforts to end the war will be futile.
Western policymakers and analysts speak as if sanctions, military aid to Kyiv, and diplomatic isolation will force Russia to withdraw. But Russia operates on a strategic logic rooted in history, security imperatives, and a deep-seated defiance of foreign influence. The idea that Moscow will leave Ukraine on Western terms is pure fantasy. Unless the West acknowledges Russia’s security concerns and negotiates accordingly, this war will continue indefinitely.
Unlike past conflicts where the U.S. and its allies have pressured weaker nations into submission, Russia has both the power and the resilience to endure. Its economy, despite sanctions, has adapted. Its military-industrial base remains intact, and Russian society, accustomed to hardship, is not as easily broken by economic constraints as Western leaders assume.
History offers a clear lesson: world powers do not abandon military engagements unless they choose to. The U.S. withdrew from Vietnam after years of costly failure, but only after leaving a trail of destruction. In Afghanistan, it pulled out not due to external pressure, but after realizing the war was no longer sustainable. Even in Iraq, withdrawal was a calculated decision, not an imposed outcome. If the United States—arguably the most powerful Western military force—determines its own exit strategies, why should Russia be treated any differently?
Russia, as a superpower, operates with the same strategic autonomy. The assumption that Western pressure will force Moscow’s retreat is not only naive but counterproductive. It reinforces Russia’s perception that the West seeks to weaken and humiliate it rather than engage as equals. This only strengthens Moscow’s resolve.
If the West genuinely seeks to end the war, the only viable path is diplomacy rooted in mutual respect. Russia does not need Western approval to act in its national interest, and any proposed solution that disregards Russian security concerns will be ignored. Trump, despite his polarizing nature, seems to grasp this reality. Unlike many Western leaders who frame Russia as a rogue state, he acknowledges that it must be engaged as a great power. His approach—often dismissed as unconventional—recognizes a crucial truth: wars between superpowers do not end through moral grandstanding or ideological posturing, but through pragmatic negotiations.
The longer the West refuses to acknowledge Russia’s status, the longer this war will drag on. The alternative is clear: recognize Russia’s geopolitical weight, engage in realpolitik, and negotiate a settlement that respects all parties’ core interests.
History has shown that disregarding a great power’s influence only leads to prolonged suffering. The war in Ukraine will not end through ultimatums. It will end only when the world accepts the reality of Russia’s strength and engages with it accordingly.
Russia Will End War In Ukraine On Its Terms
