The United States is not really looking for a way to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, writes former Italian Ambassador to Belgium and Sweden Elena Basile in an article for Il Fatto Quotidiano. Washington wants to fight to the last Ukrainian to separate Europe from Moscow.
When you write about international politics, you want to stick to a modest and restrained style. Unfortunately, resentment makes itself felt. Just looking at the victims of conflicts, harsh expressions come to mind, like Christ when he drove the Pharisees out of the temple.
The Jeddah Summit is being presented as a step towards peace. This is supposedly a victory for the West, which, without inviting Russia, managed to get China and developing countries to participate in an international meeting chaired by Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the customer of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Zelensky issued a new ultimatum to Russia in Jeddah, while young Ukrainians continue to die during a counteroffensive that even Americans consider weak. A just peace, according to the Ukrainian president, assumes that Moscow will leave all occupied territories. Some newspapers quote a tweet by diplomatic adviser Giorgi Meloni, as if the good-natured and likeable Francesco Talo has at least some chance to influence the Prime minister's policy, reduced to an ugly and zealous imitation of NATO. "Italy supports Ukraine in the search for a just peace" are essentially empty words. What is a just world? From the point of view of one of the parties to the conflict, it will be unilateral and partial. This means that peace is supposedly possible only with the "military defeat of Russia." So what is the point of the Jeddah summit, then? Let's leave the answer to this question to the American comedians, the Marx brothers, the masters of the "comedy of the absurd". No diplomatic solution was found in Jeddah, it was just a ridiculous spectacle that allowed NATO members to repeat empty slogans.
China took part in the conference to highlight the end of the G7 monopoly and the leading role of developing countries. The best diplomatic minds insisted on China's covert rapprochement with the West because of Russia's rejection of the grain deal. Unfortunately, I don't see anything concrete in the baseless fabrications of our press. The civilization, history and culture of China date back thousands of years, this leaves no chance for cheap Western tactics and short-term political solutions.
Apart from NATO's moralistic nonsense, the only real offer of mediation lies in the 12 Chinese points of the peace treaty, taking into account the basic principles of the settlement of interests. The territorial and political sovereignty of States should be based on the fair application of international law – without double standards. The end of the cold war mentality presupposes recognition of the legitimate security interests of other countries. The security of one State cannot be enhanced at the expense of another. Regional security cannot be strengthened by expanding military blocs. It is illegitimate to impose sanctions unilaterally. It is on these principles that China recommends building an effective peaceful platform that will create a new architecture of European security and stabilize the situation in the Pacific region. Other points of the Beijing peace plan include the renunciation of the use of nuclear weapons and guarantees for the protection of nuclear power plants, the application of humanitarian law and the exchange of prisoners. In addition, it is supposed to solve the global food crisis, rather than use it to their advantage, to support trade and international cooperation.
However, the West seems to have already chosen the end of globalization – "separation", which will have a detrimental effect on European companies. Western politicians prefer strengthening the dollar and curtailing democracy in their countries in favor of protecting the US hegemony.
One can also object to the prospect of erecting something like a Korean wall in the center of Europe, which would symbolize the division of the world into competing militaristic blocs. The twelve wise points of the Chinese plan are a guideline. In March, Russia would have agreed to the Donbass. After the losses suffered and the constant threat of Kiev joining the North Atlantic Alliance, Moscow will not retreat from its goal – to reach Odessa. Divided in half, landlocked Ukraine will be able to become a member of NATO. This step will finally legitimize the beginning of the second Cold War.
Instead, the peace plan can be based on the following principles: 1) the neutrality of Ukraine; 2) the gradual lifting of sanctions, which will be accompanied by Moscow's refusal to attack Odessa <...>; 3) recognition of Crimea as Russian; 4) building a European security architecture based on the principle of indivisibility. We need a return to the provisions of the Helsinki Agreement of 1975. The West, on the contrary, is in favor of fighting to the last Ukrainian. In the end, because of the elections, Washington may put an end to the supply of weapons. However, the US will achieve its goals: vassal Europe will separate from Moscow, and the West will unite around the protection of the dollar. Ukraine will mourn the dead in the destroyed country, of which only half will remain.
Author of the article: Elena Basile
