Negotiations for peace

The situation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine is very dangerous. Russia is a capitalist country led by an authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin. Russia has increased its military build-up to 130,000 troops near their 1300-mile border with Ukraine. This is wrong. Yet, the US mainstream media and our leaders want us to believe that Russia is the only aggressor and threat to peace in Ukraine. That is far from the reality.

The United States has consistently intervened in other countries, eg, it has tried to overthrow the government in Cuba for over 60 years. In 1990, the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev made an agreement with Secretary of State James Baker, who was also a close confidant of then President George H W Bush. In return for Gorbachev agreeing to the unification of Germany and permitting the independence of many of the nations within the USSR, there would be no Nato expansion east of Germany, nor stationing of European and US troops east of Germany. Ukraine was specifically mentioned as part of this agreement. This request from Gorbachev for the neutrality of countries in Eastern Europe needs to be put in the context of the Soviet Union losing 20 million people from Nazi aggression in World War Two and wanting to have a buffer between Germany and Russia.

In direct violation of this agreement in the late 1990’s, Nato expanded into Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries. Today, there is a major military buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. There has also been an increase of 3000 US troops to Poland and Romania with likely increases to come and increased sales of weapons to the Ukraine. Somewhat ironically, the Ukrainian government, led by Volodymr Zelensky, seems less worried about a Russian invasion than US leaders like Biden and National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

There could and should be a negotiated settlement along the following lines. A clear statement by Nato that it will not offer membership to Ukraine in the present or future and that there will be no stationing of US or troops from European countries in Ukraine. In return Russia is likely to accept the sovereignty of Ukraine, agree to not intervene in its domestic politics, to not invade and to significantly reduce Russian troops from Ukraine’s border. Of course, Ukraine should be part of this negotiated settlement.

Excerpted: ‘Negotiations Not War’.

Courtesy: Counterpunch.org