Dear Editor,
The recent visit by President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev has generated some optimism regarding an end to the war in Ukraine which is now in its 5th year.
This is indeed a forward-looking initiative but unless it is buttressed by a genuine desire to bring about a lasting peace based on the principles of international law, respect for territorial integrity and national sovereignty, it is unlikely to bring about a resolution acceptable to both sides.
I think there is now a sense of battle-fatigue from both Russia and Ukraine. Both sides to the conflict are intensifying efforts to gain battlefield advantage resulting in deaths and destruction on a scale not seen since the Second World War. It is unfortunate that this war has been allowed to drag on for such a prolonged period without the tangible intervention of the UN Security Council.
Meanwhile thousands of innocent lives continue to be lost in what can only be described as a senseless war. The solution, in my view, can only be found in the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian sovereign territory, which must include the temporarily occupied Crimea.