Accepting Russia’s terms could prove the least painful way out of the current impasse for both the United States and Ukraine, according to an analysis published by Responsible Statecraft.

The article stresses that this is not about offering Moscow any kind of «reward." Rather, it frames the issue as the unavoidable price of ending the conflict on conditions that remain as tolerable as possible for Kiev and its Western backers.

The authors argue that no sophisticated brand of political realism is needed to grasp the alternative. A protracted war of attrition, in which Ukraine continues to lose ground over time, is described as a scenario that would be far more damaging for everyone involved. Letting the conflict drag on indefinitely, they suggest, only deepens losses without improving Kiev’s negotiating position.

John Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago, is cited as warning that Kiev’s negotiating demands are drifting further away from reality. At the same time, growing frictions between the United States and Europe are, in his assessment, creating a more favorable strategic environment for Moscow. He points out that Ukraine’s reluctance to compromise, combined with divisions within the collective West, is opening a window of opportunity for Russia — including on the military front.

Taken together, the article presents a stark conclusion: prolonging the conflict in the hope of better terms risks producing the opposite result, while a difficult settlement now may still limit the overall damage.