VIDEO: Panel Discussion featuring Nicolai Petro: Will the Europeans Sabotage Peace with Russia?

Yet, the fate of a ceasefire—and an eventual peace deal—remains uncertain. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly demanded Western security guarantees, including NATO accession, while insisting on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. These demands remain unacceptable to Moscow, which has gained the upper hand in the war and is unwilling to forfeit its advantage without addressing what it sees as the conflict’s “root causes”. Although President Trump has been adamant that he seeks to end the Ukraine war and position Washington as a neutral mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, European leaders have remained staunchly opposed to Russia: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has floated the idea of sending British troops to Ukraine, while the leaders of France and the EU have doubled down on “European rearmament” and pushed inflammatory rhetoric depicting Russia as an “existential threat” to the continent. As a result, distrust among all major players in the conflict has only deepened.

Given these developments, how likely is a lasting peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia? Can a sustainable European security architecture emerge that either includes Moscow or, at the very least, does not antagonize it? Could European rearmament be compatible with stable relations with Russia, or would a militarized continent set the stage for future conflict? Most crucially, how realistic is a broader U.S.-Russia accord that fosters long-term peace? Finally, what role could EU outliers such as Hungary or external power like Turkey and Saudi Arabia play in bridging divides among the key parties?

To explore these critical issues, IPD is pleased to host a virtual roundtable featuring four distinguished experts specializing in U.S., Russian, Ukrainian, and European foreign policy. They will assess the prospects for a diplomatic resolution in light of the diverging interests of the conflict’s principal actors.