In 1977, Ronald Reagan famously commented that he had a clear vision for how the Cold War would end.

“We win,” he said, “and they lose.”

That sort of clarity, even absolutism, fit the times perfectly. It also accurately framed a contest not only between two superpowers, but between two different, even mutually exclusive, worldviews.

One has to wonder what the answer would be — or should be — today as to how the war in Ukraine ends.

I spent the better part of the last two weeks talking with political and business leaders all over Europe and the Middle East. Almost without exception, and without regard to nationality or political persuasion, whenever the question of Ukraine came up, the input I got was surprisingly consistent.

The overwhelming majority of opinions were not “Ukraine wins, Russia loses.” It was the far more nuanced offering that the war would end with Ukraine ceding some portion of territory to Russia permanently — perhaps Donetsk, Donbas, and the southern coast along the Black Sea to Crimea. Occasionally, someone would suggest that Russia might in fact succeed in overrunning the entire country.

But not a single person suggested that Ukraine would be able to fully and permanently expel the Russians from Ukrainian territory. Indeed, I haven’t heard anyone other than the most dedicated Ukrainian patriots and politicians seriously offer that........

© The Hill