Veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger suggests the West should be more assertive in setting its own red lines for Russia in the Ukraine war. 

This call comes as Russia repeatedly uses threats of escalation to constrain Western support for Ukraine. These “red lines” from Moscow, often proving flexible or hollow, have allowed Putin to dictate terms of engagement.

“Why don’t we turn this thing around and say to them: ‘We have lines, and if you bomb one more civilian building, then you shouldn’t be surprised if, say, we deliver Taurus cruise missiles, or America allows Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia’?” he proposed in an interview with Politico.

Ischinger, the former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, emphasizes the importance of following through on such red lines.

He focuses on creating conditions for peace talks that maintain Ukraine’s independence and support its EU aspirations. Ischinger recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a follow-up to the June peace summit in Switzerland.

“We need to remind ourselves that Russia, because of its history, because of its own experience and because of its cultural behavior, it doesn’t respect concessions or weakness; but Russians do respect strength,” Ischinger advises drawing from his experience as a negotiator during the Balkans wars.

He suggests serious negotiations would likely involve the US and Russia, potentially after the November US elections. In the meantime, he recommends supporting Ukraine’s territorial defense and winter preparedness.

Ischinger proposes starting with easier issues, such as the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, before tackling more complex topics. He envisions a contact group of intermediaries, including China, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and India, playing crucial roles in facilitating talks.

“It will make a difference whether it is [Kamala] Harris or [Donald] Trump. But if the latter, the risk I see is that Trump would think he can do it himself by just calling Vladimir,” Ischinger notes, regarding the potential impact of the US election on negotiations.

Read more:

• The WP: Putin under pressure to respond as West repeatedly crosses “red lines”
• Frederiksen: Let’s end the red lines discussion, Russia crossed most important one, entering Ukraine
• Putin’s red lines are softer than initially thought, Washington thinks after Wagner mutiny – Politico