Biden gives war a chance in Kyiv, but it is time to talk peace in Ukraine

If photo opportunities could stop wars and resolve complex diplomatic tangles, they would have done so long ago. This is the thought that comes to me after US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv and promised more military aid for Ukraine and more economic sanctions against Russia to end their war that is reaching its first anniversary this week.

This is not exactly a happy marriage for us to be celebrating anniversaries but there is much in Biden's body language that invites dark humour. There's a lot that it did not reveal, including the complicated nature of the situation that has put all of Europe in economic and political turmoil, apart from the United States' own poor track record as a global supercop.

Watch | Biden declares ‘Kyiv stands’ in surprise visit to Ukraine

The imagery of refugees literally falling off a flying aircraft while trying to escape the return of the Taliban after the departure of US troops from Afghanistan will remain as rich as that of the naked girl running after a Vietnam War bombing incident. Both are photographs that tell us of flaming American failure. Diplomatic hell paved with Uncle Sam's good intentions can make many a historian or military expert's career. But peace? No, sir.

Biden walking the streets of Kyiv and patting President Volodymyr Zelensky on the back like a patronising baseball coach would have looked good had this been an American university playoff. Sadly, this is a different arena far removed from the Transatlantic insurance that an ocean in the middle offers for the wonks at the State Department.  Joe Biden is not GI Joe. There is no American blood falling on Ukraine's fertile soil.

Also Read | Biden in Ukraine: A perfect photo-op, but why now? Is it too little, too late?

The big question is: Who will bell the cat a.k.a. Vladimir Putin? As things stand, the Russia-Ukraine war is in a situation that would in typical diplospeak be described as a stalemate, logjam or gridlock. There is no end in sight, and there is no clue on what is going on inside Putin's mind, as Biden himself elegantly admitted.  Somalia, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Iran stand testimony to the limits of a lapsed superpower. But I would not waste words like 'stalemate' on a situation where blood is flowing every day. Moscow and Europe have economic guns pointing to each other's head thanks to the fuel linkages and geographic proximity between the two. Putin's hold over his country shows no sign of weakening significantly. Moscow cannot capture Kyiv or the hearts of Ukrainians. Putin's stated military objective of "de-Nazification" of Ukraine is either non-existent or was achieved months ago. In the practical world of wise diplomacy, Putin would be offered an honourable exit with some assurances so that sovereign Ukraine can resume its poise without everyday bloodshed or constant fear. That might also lead to loud sighs of relief from Scandinavia. For all that, what we need is enlightened diplomacy, not bumbling bravado.

Also Read | Ukraine and Pakistan: Friends, enemies or frenemies?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi came closest to a somewhat credible response when he muttered something about this not being an era of wars to Putin. Was that a flash in the diplomatic pan? The smartest thing would now be for beleaguered European Union or its prime economic engine, Germany, to reach out to India and do something meaningful to truly figure out what Putin wants and give him an honourable exit and/or assurance package.  India's G-20 presidency offers a pinhole for light to enter the dark tunnel behind Biden's photogenic overtures. India's rivalry or coldness towards China, and Beijing's own reticence in being too involved in things away from its borders may well earn some brownie points for it to bridge a horrible trust deficit between the West and Moscow. Involving Japan in the equation might give peace a further nudge.

There is a limit to which a neutral country can get involved in this, but the EU, Scandinavia, Russia and Ukraine itself have the most skin in the game and therefore the imperative for action.  India can perhaps walk its talk as the voice of the Global South in the G-20 grouping by actually talking to the real Global South -- the vast comity of nations in the UN General Assembly below the glass ceiling above which sits the fractured Security Council whose influential members are inept powers lacking credibility or a spirit of consensus.

Giving peace a chance may be a better idea than war games behind glossy photo ops.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) 

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