There is a specific kind of exhaustion that settles into the bones when you are forced to wait forty-five minutes for a breakfast buffet to open at a luxury alpine resort. I felt it keenly this morning in Évian-les-Bains, where the G7 leaders inexplicably delayed their morning session. As I sat in the lobby of the Hôtel Royal, gazing out at the pristine, mist-covered expanse of Lake Geneva, I was struck by the sheer psychological toll this ongoing conflict in Ukraine is taking on those of us who must continually read about it in the morning papers.
For nearly three years, we in the commentariat have been asked to feign unyielding enthusiasm for a grinding war of attrition. It is tiring work. But today, the crisp French air brought with it the scent of genuine, pragmatic statesmanship. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emerged from the delayed meetings to thank the G7 leaders for their “strong ideas on how to force Russia into peace.”
I have spent the afternoon speaking off the record with various sherpas, attachés, and undersecretaries who crafted these strong ideas. I am thrilled to report that the G7 has finally embraced the sophisticated, high-level diplomatic strategy of simply letting Vladimir Putin have whatever he wants so we can all go home.
It is a remarkable pivot, and one that requires us to give credit where it is due. Just weeks ago, President Donald Trump was mocked by the coastal elite for suggesting that “Russia should make a deal.” They called him crude. They called him transactional. But having reviewed the G7’s framework over a rather spectacular plate of poached eggs and smoked salmon, I must admit that Trump’s vision was merely ahead of its time. The G7 has taken his blunt instrument and polished it into a fine European rapier. They are not asking Ukraine to surrender; they are merely deploying strong ideas to force peace upon the region by strongly suggesting Ukraine stop shooting back.
I was discussing this very nuance with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last night by the funicular railway. You could see the relief in their eyes. The burden of pretending that Western military stockpiles are infinite is a heavy one to bear when you also have domestic polling to worry about. Keir looked at me, a glass of reasonably priced Chablis in his hand, and seemed to silently agree with my thesis: true bravery isn't fighting in a trench. True bravery is looking a victim in the eye, at a beautiful resort in the French Alps, and telling them that their struggle has become a bit of a bore.
The most critical component of our new strategy to force Russia into peace is ensuring that our diplomatic terminology remains highly aggressive while our actual material commitments approach absolute zero.
Farnsworth is entirely correct. We cannot continue to let idealism get in the way of global market stability. I recently went through a rather grueling conflict resolution process of my own when a neighbor in Martha's Vineyard attempted to build a fence that obstructed my view of the sound. Did I engage in a multi-year war of attrition? Did I beg my other neighbors for artillery shells? Of course not. I simply bought his property at a premium and turned his guest house into a pilates studio. I realize the geopolitical implications are slightly different, but the core lesson remains: sometimes, the strongest idea is just writing a check or redrawing a map so you don't have to look at the unpleasantness anymore.
What Zelenskyy must understand is that the G7's commitment to his nation is absolute, right up until the moment it threatens the supply chains for European manufacturing. We have given Ukraine our thoughts, our prayers, and our surplus armored vehicles from the late 1990s. We have illuminated the Eiffel Tower in blue and yellow. We have done the hard work. Now, it is time for Ukraine to do its part by recognizing that Donald Trump’s request to “make a deal” is not a threat, but an invitation to join the adults at the table.
The “strong ideas” presented in Évian-les-Bains are a triumph of modern diplomacy. They include a strongly worded communiqué, a firm commitment to hold another summit in an equally picturesque location next year, and a quiet, unspoken agreement that Russia will eventually tire itself out if we just stop actively resisting it. It is a bold, visionary approach to forcing peace. And frankly, if it means I never have to endure another delayed breakfast service while world leaders pretend to argue about tank deployments, it is a deal we simply have to take.