Yes, absolutely. I think there is a diplomatic solution to this crisis that would leave us better off than we were before the Russian buildup began.
The situation in Europe has not been stable. The European security border and the treaties that govern it were out of date and had started falling apart. We have had buildups and dangerous incidents even without this most recent one.
Rebuilding a security order and having these negotiations is crucial. We've had a war in Ukraine for eight years. Ending that war and finding a way forward is also crucial.
A diplomatic solution is the right way forward and is necessary. Yes, it is possible if everybody is willing to make some compromises. The challenge is that, at least from what we've seen on paper, there isn't that much room for compromise.
The question for me, looking from the outside, is whether there are things we're not seeing that show more movement. For instance, the negotiators through the Normandy format have just walked out of the negotiating room after nine hours together in Berlin.
Before we get too excited, they spent eight hours together two weeks ago in Paris and came out affirming their support for the Minsk agreements and the need for a ceasefire. We'll see if there's anything there this time.
There is absolutely a way forward and a solution that is based on arms control. It is based on guarantees of Ukrainian sovereignty that might in the end look something like a form of neutrality, for all the many problems that has, one of which is that Ukraine was neutral in 2014 when the war began. It had non-bloc status in its constitution. As Professor Kimball said, Russia would like a vassal, not a neutral state.
Negotiations mean that everybody has to give. If everyone is willing to give, there is a way forward.