It’s time to end the war between Russia, Ukraine

It is time to end the war in Ukraine, before it kills any more Ukrainians and Russians, before it starves and impoverishes the vulnerable around the world, and before it kills us all.

We need to remind people that our government, the United States of America, has the power to make that happen. We must make peaceful communication and diplomacy with Russia (and China) a priority of our foreign policy.

We must tell our Zelensky pawn that he is allowed (and encouraged) to negotiate.

We must stop sending ever more advanced weapons to Ukraine.

We must stop Biden and Putin from aggressively chest-bumping while brandishing nukes behind their backs.

Calling for peace and diplomacy with Russia does not make one a “Putin lover.”

He did mount a brutal invasion of Ukraine.

However, it was not “unprovoked.” An array of diplomats and historians of many political orientations have warned, since 1992, about the consequences of NATO expansion to the east, especially including Ukraine. To quote just a few of the dozens who have commented:

George Kennan: “Expanding NATO would mark the beginning of a new cold war.”

John Mearsheimer: “End result is that Ukraine is going to get wrecked.”

Noam Chomsky: “It is not protecting Ukraine; it is threatening Ukraine with a major war.”

Pat Buchanan: “We have scheduled a 21st century confrontation.”

To end the war, the United States government must publicly express its willingness to join in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. This begins with a ceasefire proposal, followed by diplomatic sessions, hosted by a third party, where conflicts could be peacefully resolved.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to basic peace terms in March 2022, and have considered other proposals several times since then, including a recent offer to mediate from China. The U.S. has consistently stepped in to scrap any possible deals.

Necessary outcomes of diplomacy would include withdrawal of Russian troops, and no NATO membership for Ukraine.

Through sincere diplomacy, other issues, including the status of Russianoccupied areas, could be resolved in time. Possible solutions could confirm Russian control of Crimea, where a 2019 independent poll showed over 80% approval of the 2014 annexation. The Donbas and southeastern Ukraine could be granted the autonomy approved under the 2015 Minsk agreements, which were never fully implemented.

One way or another, the ongoing and constantly escalating slaughter must stop.

In a blatant act of warmongering, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declared that the goal of the U.S. is to “weaken Russia.” Similarly, Biden, speaking in Poland last year, said Ukraine would never be a “victory for Russia,” adding, “For God’s sake, this man (Putin) cannot remain in power!”

With those aggressive goals, the war in Ukraine becomes a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia, and escalation is inevitable. We are already at the brink of a nuclear war, whether by design or accidental misstep. Any nuclear exchange between the U.S. and Russia will most likely lead to nuclear winter and mass global extinction.

I prefer diplomacy to death, especially for my kids and grandkids, and all the children of the Earth.

I clearly remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. I was 13 years old, and at my school we were all gathered in the multipurpose room, watching live news reports of the ongoing crisis. My schoolmates and I were all convinced that we were going to die. Luckily for all of us, Kennedy and Khrushchev had a late-night conversation resulting in the deal that saved us all: Kennedy agreed to remove American missiles from Turkey, in exchange for no Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Let’s encourage the same sort of diplomatic communication and willingness to compromise, but before nuclear missiles are on high alert. Please.

Younger Americans do not have the same awareness of the threat of nuclear war. They have never huddled under their desks in fear of bombs. The military/industrial/imperialist/media complex is bringing us closer to the brink than we have ever been, and most people barely register the danger or feel the fear, or oppose the warmongering.

Even if nuclear exchange is avoided, the ongoing war is causing immense suffering for the Ukrainian people. The longer it continues, the more innocent people will die. And, in the end, the only way to peace, after years more of suffering, will be diplomacy.

Let’s start the diplomacy now.

Please join us for a Peace in Ukraine Rally at 2 p.m., Saturday, March 18, on the Arcata Plaza!