Give peace a chance

G20 presidency is an opportunity to lead the initiative

With intelligence sources in the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pointing to the possibility of a spring offensive by the Russians against Ukraine, much of the debate has focused on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s hesitancy over delivering Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kyiv, the internal differences within the transatlantic alliance over supplying Ukraine more advanced offensive weaponry, and the escalatory risks of doing so. Either way, it is becoming clear that a prolonged war — it’s been 11 months today — is likely to be harmful not just to the combatants but to the global economy. The world, still to recover fully from the Covid-19 pandemic, has already felt the inflationary impact of sharply rising fuel and food prices, partly as a result of Europe’s switch to West Asian supplies to reduce its overwhelming dependence on Russia. As things stand, the signals for peace appear to be weak, with neither Russia nor Ukraine nor the US-led NATO showing signs of backing down from their maximalist positions. This intransigence offers India a good opportunity to leverage its presidency of the G20 this year and initiate an exercise for a viable peace.

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