The difficult dialogue between Russia and Ukraine

According to reports from the US newspaper “Washington Post”, the administration of the White House informally urged the Kiev executive to show itself available so that Ukraine can start a path that could lead to talks with the Russian government. According to the American executive, there is a real danger for the Ukrainian country of losing the support and aid of other nations; according to some analysts, the US solicitation is only preparatory to a possible decrease in the volume of aid, especially military, in anticipation of possible changes in the political structures and direction of some countries and also of the United States itself, which with the next mid-term elections , could change the composition of the legislative power. Along with political concerns, there are also those of an economic nature, due to the costs induced by the war and its prolongation, especially in the energy sector, but not only: in fact, if the higher production costs affect the growth trend of countries rich, in poor countries the concern is related to the lack of food, caused by the blocking of exports of Ukrainian wheat. For now these trends, although emerging, remain minority, but the economic difficulties, combined with the change in the trend of some governments, despite the denials, could favor a decrease in aid in arms, also in the name of a distorted pacifist idea, because indirectly clearly favorable to Moscow. Until now, however, the Ukrainian president has not shown himself willing to change his attitude of total closure unless he has to deal with a new Russian government, installed after Putin’s overthrow; this eventuality appears very remote, if not completely unattainable, due to the iron control that the Russian president maintains over the bureaucratic and government apparatus of Russia. The Ukrainian position, however, is understandable: the country has been invaded and bombed and dragged into a conflict that has produced death and destruction within its territory, of which it has lost substantial portions; the conditions in Kiev do not only concern the refusal to negotiate with the tenant of the Kremlin, but also include the withdrawal and return of the occupied territories with adequate compensation for the damage suffered by Russian military actions. Putin himself, who had shown good intentions, in words, on the possibility of a negotiation, maintains an attitude completely opposite to that of Kiev and claims, as a starting point, to keep the territories conquered and annexed with the false referendums and leaving the current boundaries unaltered. The situation appears to have no way out, the positions are too conflicting and, however, the mere fact that we start talking about dialogue, even if impossible for now, can mean a little hope. If Ukraine needs all the support it can get, it has nevertheless shown that it has greater determination than the Russian armed forces and has forced Moscow to practically exhaust its arsenal, which needs to be reconstituted; the internal situation of the Russian country is not the best: the economic crisis and discontent, while not leading to major protests, do not allow the creation of a fighting force with a conviction equal to that of Ukraine, this war is not felt as its own by the Russian people , who shuns it or accepts it with resignation. These elements, combined with the fact that the Kremlin is starting to come under pressure from China, opposed to the continuation of a conflict that is compressing global economic growth and therefore also Chinese exports, indicate that the path of dialogue may be more likely than it is. current conditions allow for a positive development. Stopping the weapons will have to be the first necessary step, but this will not be enough if a world network is not created capable of making the two sides withdraw from their respective positions, always, however, keeping in mind the reasons of Ukraine which is the country it is. been attacked. Russia needs to realize that it is an increasingly isolated state and in this the action of Beijing will be fundamental, which has so far supported Moscow politically: if this happens, Putin will have to accept its downsizing on the international level, which can only be recovered by yielding to the front. to the demands of Kiev. The path is not easy and not even short, but, at the moment, it seems the only way to go.