U.S. policymakers often point to the Western sanctions levied on Russia as evidence of a unified international response to the war in Ukraine. For example, when asked by a reporter last week about whether French president Emmanuel Macron’s peace overtures raised concerns that transatlantic unity could hold up “under pressure,” U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Michael Carpenter responded by pointing to the European Union’s (EU) six sanctions packages as evidence that there is “tremendous unity” with only “[o]ccasional differences on tactics.”
Yet, upon close examination, the fissures and divides that existed in Europe prior to the Russo-Ukrainian War have not disappeared. Unless the Biden administration executes a sharp change in policy, divides within the transatlantic coalition assembled against Russia risk making the United States a spectator, rather than a participant, in the peace process. If U.S. policymakers hope to have a hand in crafting a settlement that will set the stage for a lasting peace—and an eventual thaw in U.S.-Russia relations—they must adopt a different strategy that looks beyond the next lethal aid package sent to Kyiv. Läs artikel