Lawful Ends to Unlawful Wars: Coercion and Voidness in Peacemaking

Recent calls for a negotiated settlement to Russia’s war on Ukraine neglect whether such a settlement would be lawful. Yet under a settled principle of international law, a coerced treaty is void. This principle, a corollary of the U.N. Charter’s bedrock prohibition on the unlawful use of force, was developed precisely to rule out treaties making concessions to an aggressor in exchange for peace. This Note examines the neglected prohibition on coerced treaties, argues that various proposals for peace in Ukraine are actually unlawful, and concludes by suggesting how the war can be ended lawfully.近期呼吁通过谈判解决俄罗斯对乌克兰战争的声音，往往忽视了此类和解协议是否具有合法性。然而根据国际法上一项既定原则，胁迫缔结的条约当属无效。这一原则是《联合国宪章（U.N. Charter）》关于非法使用武力的根本性禁止条款的必然推论，其设立初衷正是为了排除那些为换取和平而向侵略者作出让步的条约。本文对被忽视的胁迫性条约禁止规则展开考察，论证了乌克兰和平方案的各类提议实则不具备合法性，并在文末提出了合法结束这场战争的可行路径。