March 7, 2024 (EIRNS)—Foreign Affairs has published a tepid call for taking steps toward taking later steps to eventually negotiate a peaceful conclusion of the conflict in Ukraine.
The March 5 article, published with the kicker “No negotiations yet—but it’s time to talk about talking,” acknowledges the devastation of the ongoing war, which had taken an estimated 500,000 lives already last year, according to a 2023 U.S. assessment. But the authors don’t seem to be in any hurry to bring it to a conclusion.
“Even if a deal is currently out of the question, all parties should take steps now to bring about the possibility of talks in the future. … Therefore, it is necessary to open channels of communication, so as to be in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to pursue peace when that opportunity comes,” they write. “It is time to begin to build those channels.”
That’s true. But on what timeline?
The authors propose that the North Atlantic Council and G7 begin talking about how they want to talk with Russia. Let’s not rush, they say: “Talking about talking does not entail any changes in policy in the short term. Time and effort need to be spent on developing a diplomatic strategy long before negotiations actually start.” [emphasis added]
