Bangladesh, Sept. 21 -- The most consequential question surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war is no longer simply how the conflict can be won. It is whether an opportunity to end it was missed in the first place-and whether the price of that missed opportunity is now being paid by Ukraine, Russia and Europe alike.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has reopened that uncomfortable debate with a blunt accusation: Ukraine made a "huge mistake" in 2022 by abandoning negotiations with Moscow and following the advice of what he described as a "Russophobic West." In a video address on September 19, Fico argued that years of Western military assistance have failed to defeat Russia and have instead increased the danger of a direct confrontation betw...