Ukraine peace summit brings disappointment and hope

Peace in Ukraine remains a vision that has hardly become clearer after the conference in Switzerland–important as it is for Kyiv to make its case to the broadest possible audience. Diplomacy can only gain momentum in parallel with a sequence of Ukrainian successes on the battlefield, which will demand concerted efforts to replenish and reenergize the tired brigades. The arrival of F-16 fighter squadrons this summer will be a source of new strength, and every grain ship traveling from Odesa to Africa reflects Ukraine’s staunch resilience. Many Ukrainians, who expect another Russian missile attack nearly every night, might read the words of the Bürgenstock declaration as timid and ambivalent. This consensus nevertheless signifies a rebuttal of Putin’s demands and a step toward his defeat.