What Behind Peacemakers Calls in the Russian–Ukrainian War?
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”
Franklin might also refer to peacemakers at war times, are they really searching for peace? To what extent are the peacemakers blessed?
The following report will try to reveal the real motives behind the last prominent “peaceful” intermediaries in the Russian Ukrainian war to return, again, to Franklin’s saying that nothing happens by accident in politics.
A new wave of intermediaries have beaten their way to Vladimir Putin’s long table since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.
The latest collection includes Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, Turkiye’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed bin Zayed and Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister.
This current crop of countries preferred to stand at the heart of neutrality concerning the Russian-Ukrainian war, to act, they said, as honest intermediaries.
However, critics do not believe in their peacemaking process, saying it is just “a fig leaf behind to hide their moral bankruptcy,” and to show just cause for maintaining their deep commercial ties with Russia which is still a likely victor in the Ukrainian arena, The Guardian read.
Israeli’s Tactics
The most surprising event concerning the peacemaking over the Russian-Ukrainian war, was Bennett’s visit to Moscow on Saturday, March 5, 2022.
The Israeli prime minister apparently consulted Macron, Scholz and US president Joe Biden before his three-hour- visit to Putin.
Since the Israeli decided to take the neutral position and blocked arms supplies to Ukraine, Bennett’s visit has come under domestic attack, Zelensky himself said by complaining: “I don’t feel Bennett is wrapped in our flag,” according to The Guardian.
Israeli neutrality made Washington’s blood boil, but when Israeli prime minister encouraged supporting the last UN general assembly resolution condemning Russia, the United States’ anger was tempered.
What are the Israeli interests to stay onside with Russia? If Moscow can be convinced not to sign off on a revival of the Iran nuclear deal, it would be a “diplomatic triumph for a country that has long opposed it,” according to the British newspaper’s report.
In fact, the Israeli occupation needs Russia to preserve a deal inside Syria permitting it to mount attacks on Iranian positions.
Author Uri Misgav nagged in an irate piece for the Hebrew Haaretz newspaper, saying: “We’re walking on eggshells, wary of offending Vladimir Putin’s inflated honor […] Bennett was even pulled out of a meeting to take an extended phone call from him. The excuse was that it involved Israeli ‘mediation efforts.’ Instead of hanging up on a psychopathic, ruthless dictator, Israel is acting like a Russian client state, nearly an ally.”
The Israeli prime minister, however, denies that his efforts should be seen this way. Bennett said that he has a moral responsibility, and he is trying to bring peace.
“I went to Moscow and Berlin to try to help bring a dialogue between all the sides, with the blessing and encouragement of all the players,” he said. “Even if the chances are not great.”
Turkiye, Honest?
Turkiye has also been accused of jumping between the two sides. In spite of dropping in a financial crisis, the country has not yet imposed sanctions or closed Turkish airspace to Russia, despite its unambiguously condemnation of the Russian invasion.
Putin and Erdoğan both share a blunt style, being in their late 60s and in power for decades, they seemed alike.
The Russian president once described Erdoğan as “a person who keeps his word—a man.”
The latter spoke to Putin on Sunday, March 6, 2022, for about an hour, where he called for a ceasefire or humanitarian corridors, but his call did not achieve a lot.
The Turkish president has previously taken a bet on Russia when he chose to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems, despite US sanctions and NATO criticism.
In fact, Turkiye tourism sector receives about 5 million Russian visitors each year.
Meanwhile, Russia is monitoring Turkiye’s Akkuyu nuclear plant in Mersin, in addition to Gazprom’s ownership of TurkStream, the gas pipeline from Russia presenting 40% of Turkish demand.
But why could Turkiye not be the honest broker Russia is looking for? What is in danger is not Europe’s future, but “Turkiye’s, as an ascending power,” according to The Guardian.
It is important to recall that Turkiye is a NATO member, looking for a way back with the US, and it is “Ukraine’s fifth biggest trading partner.”
So, in order to achieve a permanent balance between the east and west and to answer the question above, Turkiye is probably not the honest mediator Putin wants, according to the same source.
UAE and Russia: Friends and Benefits
The Gulf state “believes that taking sides would only lead to more violence,” this was the UAE senior diplomat’s comment after the country abstained in a UN security council vote on Russia’s invasion.
He asserted: “On the Ukrainian crisis, our priorities are to encourage all parties to adopt diplomacy and negotiate to find a political settlement that will end this crisis.”
However, a few days later, the UAE did vote against Russia when the vote returned to the general assembly.
The United Arab Emirates has been the third broker, known for its closeness to Moscow, and always “happy to put out the welcome mat for the Russian elite,” The Guardian said.
When speaking to Putin, bin Zayed said that the country would “continue its coordination with the concerned parties in order to help find a sustainable political solution to the ongoing crisis.”
Despite the vote, the UAE won’t damage its ties with Russia. The two countries carry on together files in Libya and elsewhere in Africa.
The same Guardian report revealed that trade between the UAE and Russia “has grown tenfold since 1997 to $5bn (£3.8bn) in 2021.”
“The UAE accounts for 55% of the total trade between Russia and the Gulf region, and is the largest Arab investor in Russia, accounting for 80% of the total,” the report read.
India
The latest surprising broker was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he spoke to the Russian leader, on Monday, March 7, 2022, urging him to hold direct talks with Zelensky.
India has also abstained both at the UN security council and the general assembly on 2 March.
The country’s first duty was to move more than 16,000 Indian students out of Ukraine.
However, India feels compelled as about 60% of India’s military hardware are from Russia, “and most of its civilian nuclear technology,” according to The Guardian.
The country’s neutral position shows the limits of the Quad, the partnership between Japan, India, the US and Australia which was supposed to serve as a “point of light” to countries opposing China, the British newspaper said.
