US and NATO leaders now claim to support a return to the negotiating table they upended in April 2022, with the same goal of achieving a Russian withdrawal from the territory it has occupied. If there is no peace deal in Ukraine, the only logical outcome is ongoing fighting; ongoing fighting will logically lead to escalation, particularly if Russia appears to be losing; and escalation may very well eventually take a nuclear form, at which point a great power nuclear conflict becomes a real possibility.
Instead of just sending more weapons to fuel a war that cannot be won on the battlefield, Western leaders have a grave responsibility to help restart negotiations.
Source:https://peopleint.wordpress.com
So what can the US bring to the table to help move towards peace in Ukraine and to de-escalate its disastrous Cold War with Russia? Here are 5 steps proposed by writers/political analysts Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies:
1. The US and other Western countries could support Ukrainian neutrality by agreeing to participate in the kind of security guarantees Ukraine and Russia agreed to in March 2022, but which the US and U.K. rejected.
2. The US and its NATO allies could let the Russians know at an early stage in negotiations that they are prepared to lift sanctions against Russia as part of a comprehensive peace agreement.
3. The US could agree to a significant reduction in the 100,000 troops it now has in Europe, and remove its missiles from Romania and Poland and handing over those bases to their respective nations.
4. The US could commit to working with Russia on an agreement to resume mutual reductions in their nuclear arsenals, and to suspend both nations’ current plans to build even more dangerous weapons. They could also restore the Treaty on Open Skies, from which the US withdrew in 2020, so that both sides can verify that the other is removing and dismantling the weapons they agree to eliminate.
5. The US could open a discussion on the removal of its nuclear weapons from the five European countries where they are presently deployed: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey.
If the US is willing to put these policy changes on the table in negotiations with Russia, it will make it easier for Russia and Ukraine to reach a mutually acceptable ceasefire agreement, and help to ensure that the peace they negotiate will be stable and lasting.
Most of the people of the world would breathe a sigh of relief to see progress towards ending the war in Ukraine. This should lead to improved international cooperation on other serious crises facing the world in this century–and may even start to turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock by making the world a safer place for all. In addition, the U.S. will have funds to commit for the homeless, poor and the marginalised.
Reference:
Five simple steps for US to end toxic Russia-Ukraine War, Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J.S. Davies, www.fairobserver.com, 28 Jan 2023
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