Henry Kissinger in a British magazine column for “The Spectator” – entitled “How to avoid another world war” – recalls that in May last year he proposed that along the border February 24th, ie. the start day of the war in ukraine, establish a ceasefire line.

Russia will then relinquish what it has acquired, but not the territories it occupied almost ten years ago, including Crimea. That is negotiable after the ceasefire, the diplomat wrote.

He further pointed out that if the pre-war dividing line between Ukraine and Russia could not be reached by either struggle or negotiation, “another path to the principle of self-determination” could be considered.

The rest of the article is under the video

In the most divided region that has changed hands many times over the centuries, referendums supervised by the international community can be used Kissinger said.

A 99 year old diplomat who received the Peace Prize in 1973 Nobel Prize for his contribution to resolving the conflict in Vietnam, explaining that the purpose of the peace process was, firstly, to strengthen Ukraine’s independence, and second, the elaboration of a new international structure, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. “Russia must eventually find its place in this sequence,” Kissinger believes.

He goes on to point out that the path to peace and order involves two elements that some may seem contradictory: the pursuit of security and the pursuit of reconciliation. “If we fail to achieve both elements, we will not be able to achieve either one. The path of diplomacy can seem complicated and frustratingbut if we are to make progress here, it will take vision and courage to embark on this journey.”

His essay has sparked discussion. “Henry Kissinger Writes Peace Plan for Ukraine. Ridiculous” – wrote in his column for the American “Slate” Fred Kaplan, author of books on US history. According to Kaplan, Kissinger belongs to a group of people who have illusions about the nature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

There was only one problem (with the plan proposed by Kissinger – ed.): Vladimir Putin has absolutely no interest in agreeing to such a thing. He had no interest in withdrawing his troops. He would consider it a failure, says Kaplan.

The author believed that Kissinger’s ideas led nowhere and that his article was a “waste of time”. “It only does one thing: it shows the limits of how you think about international politics, at least in connection with the Russian-Ukrainian warand what Kissinger means in the 21st century,” assesses Kaplan.

If you want to stay up to date with the latest economic and business events, use our Chatbot with a click here.