Ray McGovern: Is A Peace Deal Possible

Speaking at the latest EIR Symposium, “Peace On Earth, Or Humanity’s Doom? The Case for Negotiations“ Ray McGovern, CIA analyst (ret.) and a founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, spoke on the theme of hope: He sees a potential opening for negotiations to end the war, in which Pope Francis could potentially play a crucial role; but if action isn’t taken quickly, the opportunity could be lost. McGovern began with some historical background to the current war in Ukraine, going back to the 2014 Maidan coup and remarks made in 2015 by head of the Defense Intelligence Agency General Vincent Stewart, that “The Kremlin is convinced the United States is laying the groundwork for regime change in Russia….” Given the fact that “Ukraine is a core Russian interest” as President Barack Obama stated in 2016, and that Russia has a clear military advantage over NATO in Ukraine, McGovern posed the question: “Are the Russians prepared to do a deal?” Based on 50 years’ experience as a