By Tamar Jacoby
From 2014, when Vladimir Putin first invaded Ukraine, until a few months ago, Western opinion was virtually unanimous. “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” the saying went, meaning there could be no negotiations with Russia and no concessions except those agreed to by Ukrainians.
Today, that consensus is eroding. No one is talking about negotiating without Kyiv, but there is growing sentiment, especially among Republicans who question U.S. support for the war, that Ukraine should be pressured, whether by a withdrawal of U.S. aid or other means.
What these hardliners forget: unlike Russia, Ukraine is a democracy. The U.S. and other Western allies providing military and financial aid hold enormous sway in a country where their assistance is a de facto lifeline.
