Only Peace Negotiations Can Save Ukraine
CONFLICT RESOLUTION - MEDIATION, 4 Mar 2024
Michael von der Schulenburg – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Ukrainian War Must Not Go into a Third Year
27 Feb 2024 – Last week, the majority of members of the German Bundestag (federal parliament) declared their unrestricted support to Ukraine’s war aims: “Regaining full territorial integrity within the borders recognized in 1991”. With it, the Bundestag approved an extensive package of new and sophisticated weapons for Ukraine. The reaction of the leading media is positive across the board. Under the title “They are braver than the Chancellor”, the left-liberal ZEIT commented: “At last! The government coalition in parliament is providing the clarity on Ukraine and Russia that (Chancellor) Olaf Scholz lacks.”
Criticism and skepticism of the course of action in propagating the Ukraine war by the West against the Russian aggressor is only being voiced on the political edges in Germany. This is where the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance is located. On the second anniversary of the Russian war in Ukraine, the BSW candidate for the European elections, the former UN diplomat, and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Michael von der Schulenburg (75), is countering the prevailing line of arguments with a public appeal: “Only peace negotiations can save Ukraine – the Ukraine war must not go into a third year.”
Editorial board of Berliner Zeitung, 24 Feb 2024
Schulenburg’s appeal in full:
February 24, 2024, marks the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops and the outbreak of the largest, most brutal and most dangerous war on European soil since the Second World War. This war has so far claimed several hundred thousand of killed, severely wounded, and mentally crippled of mostly very young people on both sides. This enormous toll in blood has not brought us one step closer to a solution to the conflict – on the contrary, a peaceful solution is becoming more difficult every day. How long will the killing continue before we finally feel empathy with the suffering of the Ukrainian people and help end this barbarity?
The Russian attack is illegal, and no one should question Ukraine’s right to self-defense. But this right must not degenerate into the destruction of the entire country and its people. And it is not only Russian weapons, but also weapons supplied by NATO countries that are deployed on Ukrainian territory. They are equally responsible for the successive destruction of the country and the suffering of Ukrainian people. This cannot and must not be the aim of our policy.
The military situation in Ukraine has become increasingly worrying and there is hardly any realistic chance that Ukraine could win the war. To make matters worse, the country is being fast depopulated and increasingly impoverished with mainly the old being left behind. It is estimated that over one-third of those remaining in Ukraine has reached retirement age. In addition, the country is being weakened by corruption, increasing inter-communal differences and internal political conflicts, while military and financial support from NATO countries has decreased drastically.
Wars claim most victims in their attrition and final phases. Hence, if the war continues, it could even lead to a worse bloodshed to befall Ukraine. We must not allow this to happen. Continuing the war would be irresponsible as it could cause the collapse of Ukraine, resulting in a country deprived of a whole generation of its youth and leaving behind a traumatized aging population with no hope for a future in their homeland worth living.
A continuation of the war would also lead to ever more adverse consequences for the people of the European Union and for Germany in particular. The decline of the European economy, resulting in a high debt burden for future generations, the increasing inability of governments to live up to their social responsibilities and to invest what is necessary for its people will exacerbate social injustices as well as domestic divisions and political tensions. We would increase the risks for our open, pluralistic society as well as for the democratic order. By continuing or even expanding and escalating the war, we are increasingly exposing the people of Europe to the risk of an uncontrollable, perhaps even nuclear war.
Ukraine needs peace – Europe needs peace, and this peace can only be achieved through a ceasefire followed by peace negotiations. Ending this war on European soil is our European responsibility. It must not go on for another year and lead to even more senseless sacrifices. I therefore remind the German government of its constitutional obligation to serve the peace of the world. I urge it to do everything in its power, together with our European allies and partners and with the Ukrainian government, to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations.
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Michael von der Schulenburg, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, fled GDR in 1969, studied in Berlin, London and Paris, worked and lived for over 34 years in peace and development missions of the UN and briefly the OSCE in many countries weakened and torn by wars, by conflicts with armed non-state actors and/or by foreign military interventions. These included long-term assignments in Haiti, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Sierra Leone, as well as shorter assignments in Syria, Somalia, the Balkans, the Sahel and Central Asia. In 2017, he published the book On Building Peace: Rescuing the Nation-State and Saving the United Nations, AUP, and published many articles on UN reforms, intra-state armed conflicts, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine (www.michael-von-der-schulenburg.com)
Tags: Arms Industry, Arms Trade, Eastern Europe, European Union, NATO, Pentagon, Proxy War, Russia, USA, Ukraine, War Economy, Warfare
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 4 Mar 2024.
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2 Responses to “Only Peace Negotiations Can Save Ukraine”
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Dear Michael von der Schulenburg,
I understand the ignorant and gullible masses think the way you think, but coming from you, with your UN experience, I’m truly surprised. Shocked really. I lived for seven years in Geneva. After three years of observation I called the UN, United Necrologies, countries united in creating wars, death by fighting, death by starving.
My other name for the UN is International War Club. My two names for the UN Security Council are Insecurity Council and Executive War Committee.
I have personally known UN diplomats who made good money for themselves by allowing the War Industry to destroy their own country. When the Civil War in Cyprus ended, I asked Sadruddin Khan, who opened the Refugee Camp if it was going to close, he said “no, because several other wars have been planned and are being negotiated at the moment, and Cyprus is in a very good geographical situation to receive refugees from many countries.
Peace Negotiations don’t fatten the bank accounts of negotiating politicians and diplomats. War negotiations do
I also express my dismay at the article by someone so senior and experienced.
“The Russian attack is illegal, and no one should question Ukraine’s right to self-defense.” Surely you know the antecedents- the Ukrainian government was formed when the USA overthrew the elected team, and after all the Minsk accord/ agreement/ UN resolutions/ refusal of Russia’s needs for security/ buildup of huge military force on border with Russia, finally Russia DID intervene in self-defence. All your experience must have helped you notice the lands you “fled” to are those making all the illegal invasions and destruction. Russia is always the country invaded, NOT doing the invading. Here it had limited aims and followed them.