As the drums of war beat louder, President Woodrow Wilson took a bold stance, urging Europeans to lay down their arms and forge a "peace without victory". In an address to the US Senate, Wilson argued that a decisive victory for either side would only lead to further instability, and that a negotiated peace was the only way to ensure a lasting settlement. With the US still maintaining its neutrality, Wilson's move was seen as a bid to broker a peace deal and avoid American involvement in the conflict.