GZERO World Clips

Russia-Ukraine War: Is a diplomatic solution possible?

Russia-Ukraine War: Is a diplomatic solution possible? | GZERO World

It sounds almost naive to ask the question, but here it goes: can diplomacy end the war in Ukraine?

No one expects Putin to start playing ball, but might there be a way out of a war where there appears to be no end to the bloodletting and combat? Marie Yovanovitch, former US Ambassador to Ukraine, believes diplomacy must continue until the last vestige of hope is gone. Still, she doesn't think we should treat Russia with kid gloves while holding Ukraine's feet to the fire.

We must avoid a situation, Yovanovitch says, "where there's an agreement where the international community keeps on looking at Ukraine to do its part, but, you know, too hard to make Russia do its part, and so we don't pressure the Russians."

Yovanovitch joins Ian Bremmer for a wide-ranging interview about the state of Ukraine's counteroffensive and the war at large in the latest episode of GZERO World.

Watch this episode: Ukraine's counteroffensive on the brink
And watch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld and on US public television. Check local listings.

More For You

Pro-democracy protesters carry portraits of North Yemen's late president Ibrahim al-Hamdi.
REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

In the latest twist to Yemen’s decade-long civil war, a group of government ministers declared support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), a rebel group that broke the war’s deadlock earlier this month by seizing control of the oil-rich Handramout region.

US President Donald Trump speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a bilateral meeting at Gimhae Air Base in Gimhae, South Korea, on October 30, 2025.
Yonhap News/POOL/Handout via Sipa USA

Here’s how Eurasia Group’s 2025 Top Risks report stacked up – where it hit the mark and where it missed.