#DIPLOMACY CAN BRING PEACE TO #UKRAINE (If we’re bold enough to try it!)

An interesting approach to the crisis in Ukraine comes from Greek economist and politician Yanis Varoufakis. He proposes a compromise between Russia and the West that could result in a Ukraine that all parties can live with. He lays out his plan on a recent broadcast of Democracy Now!

https://www.democracynow.org/2022/3/25/yanis_varoufakis_biden_give_putin_exit

Varoufakis suggests giving President Putin a face saving off ramp by which he can cease his offensive and leave Ukraine in a state the West can live with. His solution is Putin and the US president negotiating neutrality for Ukraine. Neutrality in this context means Russia leaves Ukraine alone to be as democratic as it wants and as close to the West as it wants, but Ukraine does not join NATO. Ukrainian president Zelenssky has already taken NATO membership off the table so neutrality may not be so much of a reach. He envisions something similar to Finland’s neutrality following its 1939-1940 war with Russia. The Varoufakis plan also includes an “arrangement” for the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine though he does not give any hints about what that means.

Some parts of the Democracy Now! interview are problematic: He presumes that NATO’s goal is regime change in Russia of which I have seen no indication. He just needs to have him behave like a more reasonable head of state. Efforts to oust Putin would back him into a corner and make him even more belligerent

Varoufakis presumes that the US speaks for the West, based primarily on a rather low opinion of Europe’s effectiveness. His judgement could be tainted by Greece’s experience with the European Union during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Also doesn’t Ukraine get a vote, especially after fighting so hard to preserve its nationhood?

Perhaps a better plan would have Russia, NATO–which of course includes Europe and the US, and Ukraine at the table. There would have to be a serious discussion about Donbas. If Ukrainian sovereignty is respected maybe they can live without Crimea.

The real bottom line is peace is attainable if the parties have a serious commitment to stopping the killing.