It is time for a negotiated ceasefire in Ukraine. However, dreams of Russia’s collapse could lead to nuclear chaos. Henry Kissinger, a veteran U.S diplomat, said that the moment has come.
Kissinger was secretary of state for Republican Presidents Richard Nixon (and Gerald Ford) and had many meetings with Vladimir Putin since his election in 2000.
The conflict that erupted after Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine has not ended. Tens of thousands have been killed and millions have fled their homes. Russia controls about a fifth now of Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Kyiv has to acknowledge Moscow’s annexes of eastern and southern regions. Ukraine demands that all Russian soldiers must be evacuated from its territories, which includes Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. After Moscow’s September annexations, Kyiv requested to be a NATO member.
Kissinger stated in The Spectator that “the time has come to consolidate the strategic changes already made and integrate them into a new framework towards achieving peace by negotiation.”
No matter what the expressions, a peace process should be established to link Ukraine and NATO. In an article titled “How to prevent another world war”, Kissinger stated that neutrality was no longer a viable option.
Kissinger stated that he had proposed in May a ceasefire, under which Russia would retreat to the frontlines before the February 24th invasion. However, Crimea would still be subject to “negotiation”.
After a proRussian president was overthrown in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, and Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the conflict began in Ukraine. Russian-backed separatists were fighting Ukraine’s military forces.
In an interview, William Burns, CIA Director, stated that although most conflicts can be resolved through negotiation and the CIA believed Russia wasn’t serious about a negotiation to end war.
Kissinger suggested that, if the status quo is not possible to be restored, international supervised referendums could be held in Russia’s territory.
Putin describes Russia’s “special Military Operation” as an historic moment in which Russia stood up against a Western bloc led by the United States. It was a time when Russia sought to take advantage of 1991’s fall of the Soviet Union and destroy Russia.
The West and Ukraine both claim that Putin is not justified in waging an occupation war like the imperial.
Kissinger cautioned that Russia’s desire to be “impotent” or seek its dissolution could lead to chaos. Either path has not been advocated by either Ukraine or any other Western country.
Kissinger stated that Russia’s dissolution or destruction of its capability for strategic policies could make its 11-time zone territory into a contested vacuum.
Its rival societies may decide to resolve their differences by using violence. Others might try to increase their claims through force. These dangers are made worse by Russia’s large arsenal of nuclear weapons, which makes it one of the two most powerful nuclear countries in the world.
