Leaders of Belarus, China, Turkey, Israel and South Africa have positioned themselves as mediators in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Is there any hope for calm amid raining missiles?
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier (APC) in Irpin, north of Kyiv. Since the offensive began, the UN has said that at least 596 people, including 43 children, have been killed. AFP
It’s been 19 days since Russia began its ‘special military operation’, with Moscow unleashing a rain of missiles and continuous shelling on Ukrainian cities.
The fighting is also exacting a heavy human toll. According to United Nations estimates, at least 596 people, including 43 children, have been killed since Russia began its invasion on Ukraine. It added that an additional 1,067 civilians, including 57 children, were wounded.
The offensive took on a drastic turn on Sunday when Russian forces struck a military base in Yavoriv, which is about 15 miles from Poland. Before the war, troops from the United States, Britain, Canada, Poland, Latvia and other Western allies trained Ukrainian forces there, starting in the 1990s.
Amid this conflict, several countries have come forward showing willingness to mediate and broker peace between the two nations, fearing a further escalation.
Belarus
Following the offensive, the two sides — Russia and Ukraine — agreed to hold peace talks and find a resolution to the matter.
The fourth round of talks have begun today virtually. The third round of talks were held on the border with strong Russian ally Belarus.
A woman holds a placard reading “International Criminal Court in The Hague” above the portraits of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko during a demonstration in support to Ukraine in front of Russia’s embassy in Rome. AFP
Initially, Ukraine had rejected Belarus as the location for the peace talks, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that some Russian troops were stationed there before invading Ukraine’s northern border.
In the earlier days of the offensive, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko had also said his country’s military could step in to aid Russia if needed.
He had also urged Ukrainians to “stop” their confrontation with Russia – and abandon their US “masters.”
However, after assurances Zelenskyy agreed to hold talks with Russia at the Belarus border.
Israel
Late last week, Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett took on the unlikely role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
News agency Reuters reported that acting at Ukraine’s behest, Bennett had held a three-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin last Saturday. He has since spoken twice with Putin by phone and four times with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, putting his faith in Bennett said, “I believe (Bennett) can play an important role, because Israel is a country with a lot of history and parallels (to our situation), as well as having a large migration of Jews from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.”
Also read: Explained: Why Israel is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine
However, playing mediator could be a real issue for Israel; the country relies on the Kremlin for security coordination in Syria, and with Moscow sitting at the negotiating table with Iran over its nuclear program, Israel cannot afford to anger President Vladimir Putin.
But if successful, it would elevate Bennett to an international statesman and boost Israel’s standing after decades of global criticism over its lengthy, open-ended military rule over the Palestinians.
Turkey
Another country that is playing peacemaker in this situation is Turkey. Russian and Ukrainian authorities met in the Turkish town of Antalya on Thursday.
Sharing a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine, Turkey has long tried to act as a neutral and balanced mediator between the two countries by upgrading its importance to NATO and at the same time not antagonise Russia.
But, many experts say it’s a lost cause. Political scientist and Russia expert Aydin Sezer, as per a DW report, said that it is impossible for Erdogan to act as fair mediator because Turkey is a member of NATO and thus already has a position, namely that of NATO.
Turkey’s situation in this conflict is perilous. Turkey buys — despite protests from NATO and the US — Russian air defence systems to protect itself. But on Libya, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine, Turkey is in the camp opposing Russia.
Turkey is also entirely dependent on Russian gas. Of its annual consumption of 48.1 billion cubic meters (1.7 trillion cubic feet), Turkey buys 33.6 billion cubic meters of it from Moscow.
China
As the war rages on and the human toll keeps climbing, some countries have called on China to play a leadership role in ending the war soon.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has requested China to use its influence to stop Russia’s invasion of his country. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also suggested that China is more suitable than other powers to play such a role. China itself has offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
On 1 March, Beijing signalled its willingness to play a mediator role in the conflict. An official statement from China said that Foreign Minister Wang Yi had in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart had lamented the outbreak of the conflict and was “extremely concerned” about the harm to civilians.
Facing alienation of unprecedented levels, Russia, it has been reported, has turned to China survive the mighty sanctions.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: How China finds itself in a tight spot
As of date, China has been playing the diplomatic dance. It has refrained from calling the war an “invasion” and said it recognised the “legitimate security concerns” of Russia. During a 7 March press conference, Wang referred to China’s relationship with Moscow as “rock-solid” and hailed future prospects for cooperation.
At the same time, Beijing has spoken of its “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty,” while adding that China is ready to make “every effort to end the war… through diplomacy.” It has also expressed “regret” about the military action and concern for civilian casualties, signaling it could play a role in trying to broker a cease-fire.
South Africa
Late last week, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa had announced that his country has been asked to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa are both a part of the BRICS collective. AFP
The prospective role of mediator comes after the country abstained from a United Nations vote to reprimand Russia over its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Russian and South Africa have both had a cordial bilateral relationship that stems from the Soviet Union era when they trained the anti-apartheid activists during the cold war.
With inputs from agencies
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