The war in Ukraine has already lasted 198 days, and the west is exhausted. It should be no surprise. How long can you live under the constant threat to your safety? The human psyche adapts to the harsh lifestyle to function normally, but as president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Bled (Slovenia): being tired of the war is dangerous for the free world. Russia constitutes a major strategical problem that must be resolved. How can this be achieved when there is no sight of the war ending, and no diplomatic side is ready to make decisions?
Doctor Rieux, one of the main protagonists of “The Plague” by Albert Camus, describes the human condition during the war:
When a war breaks out, people say: ‘It’s too stupid; it can’t last long.’ But though a war may well be ‘too stupid,’ that doesn’t prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack for getting its way, as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.
News about the war in Ukraine stopped showing up on the paper’s front pages. After six months of Russian bombarding and killing, it is no novelty. There was a significant decrease in funds being donated for that war. Most Europeans are tired and despondent by inflation, the rising cost of living, and the threat of having no gas or electricity during the upcoming winter. There is apprehension that when they experience the impact of the war, there will be mass protests forcing their governments to change their approach to Ukraine. The people are not to blame, as they are fighting to support their families. The end of the war seems distant. On top of this, no intergovernmental organizations such as the UN or the OSCE have an idea of how to end this conflict. Although both sides would like to finish the war themselves: the Ukrainians count on winning, and the Russians cannot afford to lose as it could lead to the fall of the Russian Federation.
The war continues, and a way out is yet to be seen. Every day hundreds of soldiers like Alan Seeger during the battle of Somme in 1916 have their “Rendezvous with Death.” Just like him, they tell themselves, ‘I have a rendezvous with death at midnight in some flaming town when spring trips north again this year, and I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous”.
Both sides hope their sacrifice will not be futile. Time will tell if that will be the case.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says you cannot get used to the war when Ukrainian soldiers and citizens die every day, when the Ukrainian economy and families are destroyed, when Ukrainian children think of falling bombs instead of playing with their friends. Will they be able to learn in a safe environment? Unfortunately, no one knows the answer.
The war in Ukraine has shown the true capabilities of the intergovernmental organizations, which cannot lead the war to an end. The imposed sanctions on Russia and supplying arms to Ukraine by the west bring effect only temporarily. As Zelenskyy said, Russia constitutes a strategic problem. Yet no solution is on the horizon.
Antoni Styrczula for belsat.eu
The opinions and thoughts expressed in the text reflect only the author's views.
