The Russia and Ukraine war

 The war between Russia and Ukraine is an unjustified scourge. So many innocent civilians and conscripted soldiers have died or have been wounded.  There are thousands of people who have lost their homes or have become refugees. The cost is running into billions of dollars.It is all for nothing and no side will ultimately benefit. There was a Minsk 2 agreement which, if implemented ,would have formed the basis of a lasting peace. There could have been a rapprochement based on joint sovereignty of the Donbass and the Crimea. But, no, both sides failed to implement the agreement by preferring war to achieve their aims rather than by using diplomacy. 

There is an increasing stalemate on the battlefront and both sides are using cluster bombs which many states, including the UK, regard as unacceptable if not a war crime. A war of attrition could go on for years. 

In any war there is a temptation to destroy infrastructure as both an offensive and defensive tactic, this tactic is exacerbating the problems of Ukraine and its people.

It is possible that Ukraine will recover the Donbass but I doubt that the Crimea will ever be recaptured. If there is a peace agreement to be negotiated ,when one side starts losing, there will have to be provision for the human rights of ethnic minorities in both Ukraine and the Crimea. Sanctions should be maintained against Russia if they do not agree to this, and, likewise, Ukraine should not be allowed to join NATO or the EU if they do not agree. Any negotiated settlement must be implemented by both sides.

Eventually, there will have to be a peace agreement so why not stop the war, and start negotiating now? What is so wrong with the human race that we cannot solve international problems by diplomacy rather than by war.  We have the madness of nuclear weapons hanging over our heads, and one day a psychopathic dictator might decide to use them if he starts  losing a war. The climate crisis could erase the human race from the planet; we should all pool our efforts into fighting man-made global warming rather than pursuing useless and dangerous wars.