Day 19 ~ Another Round Of Ceasefire Talks
With more overnight bombing, and China and India opting not to impose sanctions, is a genuine ceasefire possible?
Another round of ceasefire talks are due today between Ukraine and Russia, where we all hope for a positive outcome. The reality of the situation is that no one trusts Putin, so even if a ceasefire is agreed, what authority or body can ensure that both sides stick to the agreement? That has been historically a sticking point in all negotiations and ceasefires, because the aggressor will keep up appearances until others feel secure to get what they want. Then, when the other side feel secure and let their guard down, the aggressor resumes their plan, and pick up where they left off. The talks resume tomorrow after a ‘technical’ break, where there appeared to have made little progress.
I have been observing like many of you as an onlooker (so far), having to witness the tragedy of the Ukrainians being forced to defend their country, losing their homes, some their lives, and having to flee for safety to other countries that are ill equipped to handle the crisis. There are no words to describe how sad and angry we feel, and our everyday petty issues become so insignificant when we know those not so far away from us are living in fear, and trying to survive not knowing what lies ahead during the day, let alone the future. The Ukrainians don’t want World War III, but in order for the invasion to end, they need help from the West, whatever the consequences. Do Russia really wish to negotiate a ceasefire? A regime that targets hospitals to cause maximum harm to the vulnerable, and to target residential homes of the innocent isn’t looking for a ceasefire, but to cause as much destruction as possible.
The attack near the border of Poland, a NATO country was not accidental, but imagine if the missiles had landed right on the border— what would the rules of engagement be then? The Russians could claim it was a mistake, but there is no way of knowing if that hypothetical situation could be proven. This puts all countries that border Ukraine in danger, especially the ones who have taken in Russians (who have fled) and NATO countries that have been supplying arms to Ukraine as they will be considered targets. That puts Poland, Romania, Hungary. Slovakia, Georgia, and Moldova in danger and makes them vulnerable. This is a case of NATO waiting for Russia to attack any NATO country, and then to respond.
What if Belarus officially joins Russia in the invasion, then we may see more Belarusians fleeing the country to Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania. We also need to ask the question as to what good is having partnerships with the EU and NATO, if they fail to offer some protections from aggressors, and where they cannot preempt the necessity of membership as a deterrent in order as a peacekeeping measure on an international scale? That is why many Eastern Bloc countries joined NATO and the EU in the first place, knowing that Russia may strike as they have done in the past.
Cities and towns have been destroyed, and there are no words to express the despair of such destruction. Must we watch helplessly while those we have elected sit on their hands and watch the bloodshed, because they are afraid of being blamed for starting World War III? I recall reading about Churchill doing what Zelenskky is doing, and that is appealing for aid and assistance before things get so bad that everything is destroyed.
The person who started this war was Putin, and Ukraine was defending itself and the Western and democratic countries supported Ukraine in their defensive measures. That is very different from starting a World War.
I saw this post on Twitter, and what we should take from this is that life is transient and that this could have been any of us. One moment you are standing having a photo taken enjoying life, and then the next, due to no fault of your own, your life is taken away by a missile. Your government is doing what it can to defend the country, but are outnumbered. When they seek help from those who support and sympathize with the situation, they are not brave enough to help completely, and offer some help and then withdraw unless they have to help again.
Red tape costs lives, and there is a lack of courage to find ways to help avoid the destruction of a country that might wipe out the population of Ukraine. Create new emergency powers that apply to to the crisis, for NATO has that power to do so. To watch more people die, and more cities destroyed is inhumane. Everyone bar the pro-Putin Russians want a peaceful ceasefire, but instead we hear of more attacks from the Russians as they target Kyiv. What active role are the UN involved in and surely they must consider a peacekeeping operation at some point?
The images prove that this invasion is not a hoax, the dead bodies prove that and a ‘special military operation’ where Russia has no jurisdiction has no validity. You can’t go in and take what you want because it once belonged to you, and no one believes the invasion was justified with the excuse to ‘denazify’ the Ukrainians. Were there negotiations on the issue before the invasion? I doubt it very much.
We, the free who can speak, must speak up for the victims of this crisis and let their stories be told so that they did not die in vain—they died because they valued democracy and freedom, and because Western powers were too concerned with being politically correct to find a way to prevent this humanitarian crisis.
Day 19 (14 March)
Kyiv is attacked with missiles overnight as residents flee for safety.
The Russian Navy, as predicted have seized control of the Black Sea preventing any imports to Ukraine, and have disabled Ukrainian navel vessels.
Tech giants suspend services to Russia, that includes Oracle, Microsoft and SAP. That includes software, customer support and new products. This will weaken the Russian technologies used to carry out the invasion.
China and their involvement in the crisis has been a subject of discussion, where they will not impose sanctions against Russia, and reports claim that Russia has requested China for military assistance. Naturally, this has been denied, but is a question that many had been considering since the start of the conflict. What stance will China actually take versus what they say?
Pro-Russian protests are held in Belgrade, Serbia. They voted to condemn the Russian invasion during the recent UN assembly, but have not make a public statement on Russia. It might be a case of voting to avoid criticism from other countries, knowing full well that the UN resolution was powerless and unenforceable.
Zelenskyy repeats his requests for a no-fly zone, stating that the attacks will be on NATO soil soon. The US have repeated that they will not support a no-fly zone in Ukraine.
Chinese media have been promoting propaganda, stating that only humanitarian aid should be allowed, and countries that supply military aid should cease to do so. If the Chinese are supplying military aid to Russia, will China be subject to sanctions from the West?
Reports claim that India is considering buying cheap crude oil and other goods from Russia. That action would be negate the sanctions the West have imposed against Russia, and would be a message that India supports Russia and does not support democracy. It is reported that India doesn’t care if the West imposes sanctions against them.
Images of the mass graves are being shown as it is impossible to have a proper burial as people are still in hiding and taking shelter, where there is no access to cemeteries as the body count increases. These are images we saw in the past that should not be repeated. Humanity, it appears has still not learnt. Those who have a say in NATO and UN operations, do they believe they did all that they could, and that all those deaths were worth refusing the no-fly zone?
Zelenskyy is due to address Congress on Wednesday, to probably ask to ‘protect the skies’ again, and to thank them for their continued support. With the story of an American journalist being targeted and killed rather than being caught in crossfire, how are the US going to react? They will applaud his brave and courageous words, but then will go home and carry on as normal and say that they can’t do anything other than to impose sanctions and to send some weapons and humanitarians supplies to bandage up the people who get injured.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy will address the Canadian Parliament.
Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children is preparing to receive paediatric cancer patients from Ukraine within 36-48 hours. Our Toronto hospital has a long standing partnership with Ukrainian children's hospitals.
EL thank you once gain for your write up of the atrocities occurring in Ukraine without any peaceful end in sight. How much more can this country and its people take without help? Hopefully they will rise like the Phoenix From The Ashes when their day comes.......