As the war in Ukraine is about to head into its sixth month, the ferocity with which it is fought shows no signs of abating – neither on the battlefield, nor in the rhetoric emerging from Moscow and Kyiv.
Ukraine
‘Weaponising’ food amid Ukraine war might be Putin’s real trump card
Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports is driving up food inflation and exacerbating the global hunger problem that may drive more migrants to Europe.
Ukraine war: Russia’s G20 walkout heightens tensions at fractious summit as China’s rise continues
While G20 foreign ministers were meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, threatened further escalation in his war against Ukraine, announcing to the world that “by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet”.
Ukraine: how negotiations could stop the war and what needs to happen first
Creating the conditions for negotiations is not the same as creating the conditions for their success, as eight years of unsuccessful attempts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine sadly testify.
The First Days of War
Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is difficult to understand and impossible to justify within the bounds of normal rationality.
Why the idea of a ‘neutral’ Ukraine is a non-starter in peace talks
Muddying the diplomatic waters further with an unpalatable, and in all likelihood unattainable, “solution” wastes precious time and resources that now would be better devoted to achieving a stable ceasefire and an end to Russia’s aggression.
Ukraine invasion: what the west needs to do now
For the west, containing Russia’s aggression and keeping the western alliances (EU and NATO) united and intact are the obvious key short-term objectives.
Ukraine: what’s really behind Putin’s deployment of ‘peacekeeping’ troops?
Related NotesVladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of the two breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk followed a surreal live broadcast of a security council meeting in the Kremlin. Sitting facing the 13-member council, Putin cajoled and argued as, one...
Ukraine: why a negotiated settlement on Donbas will be tough to achieve
Even the most difficult and protracted negotiations are preferable to the spectre of further armed conflict.