By guest author Leo Ensel. Exactly two years ago, Russia formulated its security interests in separate letters to NATO’s Secretary General Stoltenberg and to US President Biden in no uncertain terms. The West’s reaction: no response! There is much to suggest that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have been prevented if the West had negotiated […]
This article is based on a speech given at the “Never again war – lay down your arms” rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate on November 25, 2023 Today, we live in a world that is increasingly caught in the stranglehold of armed conflicts and wars. How will we get out of this quagmire
The disastrous derailment of early peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine This is a detailed reconstruction of the Ukrainian-Russian peace negotiations in March 2022 and the associated mediation attempts by the then Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, supported by President Erdogan and former German Chancellor Schröder. It was drawn up by retired General
At the end of August this year, four highly respected German personalities[1] presented a peace proposal for ending the war in Ukraine through a ceasefire and subsequent peace negotiations: (https://zeitgeschehen-im-fokus.ch/en/newspaper-ausgabe-en/article-translated-in-english.html#article_1565) It is arguably the most comprehensive and groundbreaking peace proposal made by any government, international organization or, as in this case, any private party since
With the ending of the division of Europe, we will strive for a new quality in our security relations while fully respecting each other’s freedom of choice in that respect. Security is indivisible and the security of every participating State is inseparably linked to that of all the others. We therefore pledge to co-operate in
The war in Ukraine is now entering its second year without any attempt being made to find a peaceful solution. Instead of initiating peace talks, the warring parties have become further entangled in a dangerous spiral of military escalation by deploying of ever more powerful weapon systems. As if still stuck in the belligerent thinking
Whether there will be a chance for peace in Ukraine depends, above all, on the United States! For the USA, this war is about its geostrategic goals and only geostrategic considerations will persuade the USA to agree to a peace solution. Here are a few thoughts: Not the war, but what led to the war
In today’s world that is packed with weapons of mass destruction, hypersonic delivery systems, cyber warfare, space warfare and artificial intelligence capabilities, next to other awful things, any strategy that aims at winning a war militarily risks disaster. This could not be truer for the war in Ukraine where two nuclear powers, Russia and the
Jesus taught the world that peacemakers are blessed, for they are the children of God. As war rages in Ukraine, the world needs peacemakers to help the warring sides to choose peace over continued conflict. The US, European Union, Turkey, China, and other countries should help both sides to feel secure in a negotiated peace
Dear friends, dialog partners and former colleagues, I would like to share with you my most recent article in which I argue that Europe, for its own interest, must push for a negotiated peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine. History will surely come down harsh on Russia and President Putin for having started