A glimmer of hope for peace in Ukraine

This brings to mind a previous article we had on the provenance of the Ukraine conflict: The Minsk Agreement that was not implemented. That Minsk peace protocol, so-called for having been crafted in the capital of Belarus, was supposed to have addressed the simmering war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which is populated by Russian-speaking residents.

THere is a glimmer of hope for peace to be achieved in the current Ukraine crisis with the overtures for a peaceful settlement coming from no less than Turkish President Recep Tayyip erdogan based on a platform that saw the “release” of grains to countries in need. This is welcome news for a world grown weary of increased energy prices and inflation spikes that reduced the purchasing power of much of the world.

At the center of a possible New Year aspirations for peace in the region—and a step back from the nuclear precipice—is the grain export deal that United Nations chief Antonio Guterres brokered that led to a Russia-ukraine peace protocol, which saw ships of both nations navigating through floating mines to deliver grains via Istanbul.

Now, there is a new hope for peace in the New Year. And, hopefully, that peace comes about…lest the world would face a nuclear catastrophe that could incinerate even those nations that are passive to the goings-on in Ukraine. On Thursday, Erdogan brought out the matter for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis in a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN chief Guterres.

That peace settlement is anchored on the way that grains were exported from the war zones to countries very much in need, though there have been reports that much of the grains did not really go to the poor countries but to the rich countries. But I digress. What is important is that an initial attempt has been made to ensure that peace reigns again in that part of the world that, with globalization, has actually led to economic crises for all countries.

Why, even here in the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas had to increase interest rates to counter the effects of a Ukraine crisis-induced inf lation spike that saw energy prices notch up ever higher, and food prices rise beyond the working man’s daily wages. The United States also saw an inflation spiral not seen in 40 years, and the rich countries had to contend with higher rates that constrict economic growth.

With this turn of events, can the world expect to heave a sigh of relief at the march of these developments, courtesy of the voice from Turkey and let peace reign in the coming year? Can the United Nations, so-named to see countries bond towards a lasting union and bring to the table all disagreements that may arise between nations, be able to broker that peace? Let us count the ways. From a Twitter feed of a speech made by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to the Turkish youth in Erzurum a day before Christmas, he faults the West for stepping up provocations in Ukraine instead of mediating the Ukrainian crisis.

Recently, the US Congress introduced a bill for the 2023 budget that would provide $44.9 billion in aid to Ukraine. A significant amount of US allocations will go towards its military needs.

European experts estimate that financial and military assistance to Kyiv since the start of the special military operation has exceeded $90 billion. And more are coming in.

Reports show that the United States and its allies continue to carry out large-scale arms deliveries to Kyiv and train mobilized Ukrainian citizens.

The Pentagon has just announced the provision of Patriot missile defense systems, air defense equipment, and new batches of ammunition worth $2 billion to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This brings to mind a previous article we had on the provenance of the Ukraine conflict: The Minsk Agreement that was not implemented. That Minsk peace protocol, so-called for having been crafted in the capital of Belarus, was supposed to have addressed the simmering war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which is populated by Russian-speaking residents. The low-intensity conflict pit separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk against Ukraine.