At the Precipice of a Permanent Ceasefire

How do you get a ceasefire agreement? Step one. Recognize too many people on both sides have died. Step two. Understand why you are fighting and shooting at each other has moved far beyond the original “reason” for the hostilities. Step three. Agree that it is time to listen to others who are not involved in the conflict. Step four.  Sit down and begin to talk rationally to, not at, each other.

This, finally, is where we are in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The countries are talking TO each other. Not AT  each other.

Yes, there are baby-steps involved. After all, technically it has been ongoing since 2014. With a short respite from 2016 to 2022. But the hostilities remained. So it will be hard to move past that.

But both countries are trying. And that is encouraging.

The New York Post reported today that both sides have agreed to a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea to allow both sides to begin exporting goods without worrying about attacks. But the Russians have requested that the US order Ukraine not to initiate  unprovoked terrorist  attacks on its shipping vessels.

“We will need clear guarantees,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in televised comments. “And given the sad experience of agreements with just Kyiv, the guarantees can only be the result of an order from Washington to Zelensky and his team to do one thing and not the other.

“And it seems to me that our American partners have received this signal,” he said. “They understand that only Washington can achieve positive results in stopping terrorist attacks, stopping shelling of civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure not related to the military-industrial complex.”

It seems like a reasonable request to the American diplomats attempting to broker the truce. And the Trump White House on Tuesday said Ukraine also has agreed to the limited cease-fire deal.

It may take a while, but the hope is that when all is said and done, it will be a lasting truce. Remember, at one time, the belligerents were part of a much larger country.

US officials hope that the signing of a Black Sea truce could serve as a steppingstone for a greater cease-fire deal to end the war, which has gone on for more than three years.

And much of Europe prays, as well, for hostilities to pause and ultimately, be long-lasting. For the baby-step taken today leading to peace to finally come to the “New Europe” tomorrow.

It would be a huge accomplishment of a “Promise Made, Promises Kept.”