PeaceQuest
  • Home
  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Email Us: sstaples@peacequest.ca
  • For teachers: WarandChildren.com
  • Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
PeaceQuest
  • Home
  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Welcome
  • Donate Now

    Scholarship fund studious poor children

    Notice: Test mode is enabled. While in test mode no live donations are processed.

    $
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Donation Total: $10

Peace will be determined on the battlefields of Ukraine this summer

Homepage Commentary Peace will be determined on the battlefields of Ukraine this summer
Commentary

Peace will be determined on the battlefields of Ukraine this summer

13 April 2023
By Steven Staples
2 Comments
1746 Views

Any potential peace talks aimed at ending the year-long war in Ukraine will have to await the outcome of major battles in the coming weeks.

Russian forces are dug-in along the easter regions and in Crimea to the south, building fortifications for months.

Over the winter, the front line between the two forces has remained largely unchanged despite heavy losses, especially by Russia which had been using “human waves” in grinding offensives reminiscent of the First World War.

This week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his pledge to push Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory, which would include Crimea taken in 2014 and the Eastern regions captured and occupied by Russia last year.

Peace talks aren’t likely to commence until both sides are exhausted militarily, and their leaders conclude that negotiations are a better way to achieve their aims than fighting on.

Supporters of Ukraine feel that if negotiations begin now, they may be forgoing the opportunity for territorial gains on the battlefield. That puts a lot of pressure on Ukraine to make advances in its much anticipated “spring offensive,” which many analysts have been expecting for several weeks now. Many questions remain unanswered:

  • Does Ukraine have the ability to punch through Russian defences?
  • Has it acquired sufficient Western weapons and ammunition?
  • And what cards might Russia be holding that have yet to be played, should it start to sustain losses?
  • Would a successful attack on Crimea be a “red line” for Russia to further escalate the war?

Pentagon leaks paint cautious picture

Recent leaks of U.S. military documents, generally viewed as being authentic, paint a cautious picture.

The BBC reports that according to the Washington Post newspaper, one document from early February expresses misgivings about Ukraine’s chances of success in its forthcoming counteroffensive, saying that problems with generating and sustaining sufficient forces could result in “modest territorial gains.”

Ukraine’s difficulties in maintaining its vital air defences are also analyzed, with warnings from late February that Kyiv might run out of critical missiles.

On the other hand, the leaks also suggest chaos and infighting within Russia’s military, and a gutting of its ranks of highly-trained special forces.

The BBC says that casualty figures are also listed in the leaked documents. One slide refers to as many as 223,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded, and as many as 131,000 Ukrainians.

The next few weeks are sure to be bloody, should Ukraine move forward with a spring offensive. Its battlefield success will likely play a large role in determining the timing of any potential future peace negotiations.


The International Peace Bureau has launched a new website dedicated to its forthcoming International People’s Summit for Peace in Ukraine, to be held in Vienna, Austria, on June 10th-11th 2023. For more information, visit https://www.peacevienna.org/

(Cover: Tchassiv Yar, Ukraine – April 13, 2023 Only the humanitarian aid sent by volunteers allows the inhabitants to survive. People receiving daily humanitarian aid in the city of Tchassiv Yar. Via Shutterstock)


Previous Story
Enjoy your celebration this weekend
Next Story
Weapons-makers being sued in U.S. courts by Yemen war victims

Related Articles

Did Trudeau just help India's strongman Narendra Modi?

Assassination accusation boosts Hindu-nationalist leader

Keep Hope Alive: Essays for a War-Free World

A new book by Douglas Roche

2 replies added

  1. Dan Blake 15 April 2023

    Very disappointing report from someone who should know better. The reality is that Ukrainian losses are many times Russian losses. Quoting the BBC for details of Russian losses is like asking Zelenskyy if Ukraine can defeat a better equipped and much larger military. The BBC is merely a mouthpiece for Western propaganda.

  2. Ed Lehman 22 April 2023

    I agree with Dan Blake. Peace negotiations are what is required to achieve global peace and security. In the case of the war in Ukraine, Ukraine and Russia were involved in negotiations until countries like US, Great Britain, and Canada intervened to stop the peace process. It needs to be resumed and sincerely engaged in. Canada’s role has not been one of supporting peace; just the opposite.

Comments are closed.

Categories

  • Action
  • Analysis
  • Commentary
  • Event
  • PeaceQuest Cape Breton
  • PeaceQuest Kingston
  • PeaceQuest Regina
  • Resource
  • Teachers

Contact

PeaceQuest Leadership and Education Initiative

c/o Steven Staples, Chairperson

225 Sumach Street W303

Toronto  ON M5A 0P8

Email: sstaples@peacequest.ca

Phone: m. 647-327-7187

PeaceQuest Info

  • Projects
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

Local Groups

  • Cape Breton
  • Kingston
  • Regina

 

 

Teachers

  • WarandChildren.com
Copyright ©2020 PeaceQuest Leadership and Education Initiative
SearchPostsLogin
Friday, 22, Sep
Did Trudeau just help India’s strongman Narendra Modi?
Thursday, 21, Sep
Keep Hope Alive: Essays for a War-Free World
Friday, 15, Sep
Is there too much “Doomerism” in the climate movement?
Friday, 15, Sep
Silencing pacifists rather than guns in Ukraine
Thursday, 14, Sep
Principles for Peace for Parliamentarians
Friday, 8, Sep
More scandal from military brass at CFB Trenton

Welcome back,