Kluge, in Berlin, doesn’t believe that the Kremlin would accept such an arrangement. “Putin thinks he is winning the war,” Kluge said. “He has all the leverage.” A ceasefire would blunt his momentum and allow Ukraine to shore up its defenses. “And once you stop a war it becomes hard to start it again.”

This letter must begin with a thank you to NPR, PBS, and other news sources that consistently correct President Trump’s lies about the war between Russia and Ukraine — in particular, that Ukraine had the chance to avoid war with Russia or that President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is a dictator.