The Russia-Ukraine War: It’s Time For More Diplomacy

By Arnold J. Oliver\ PeaceVoice Photos: Wikimedia Commons Now that the Ukrainian military aid bill has been passed we have an opportunity to assess the developing conflict and offer suggestions. Here we will argue for more diplomacy and less war. None of this essay should be construed as support for Russian behavior – which has been abysmal. And at the end, there will be a bonus history lesson from European Member of Parliament Clare Daly. Back in the 1960’s President John F. Kennedy acquired some hard-won experience in managing crises and dealing with the USSR (now the Russian Federation) in a nuclear armed world. Two well-known observations he made at that time are relevant now. First, at his inaugural address in 1961 he declared, “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” Although Kennedy’s words seem reasonable, the fact is that the United States has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Russian Federation about the crisis in Ukraine, starting even before the Russian invasion in early 2022. Beyond that, the US exerted its influence to help halt talks between Ukraine and Russia in March of 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion. At that time...