Just peace is still far away

I will not evaluate the summit or anything else related to it, but I will critique this definition of "just peace." I can confidently say that in six months or a year, I will remind these so-called experts of their idea that we are moving towards a "just peace." Then I will ask them what they mean by "just."

From where I stand, it seems we're heading towards an abstract end to the war, but there's little fairness in it.

To me, justice means punishing criminals for their crimes. True justice would mean Russian troops leaving all the places they've occupied. It would mean holding accountable those who ordered attacks on Ukrainian cities, tortured and killed Ukrainians, and those who carried out these orders, committing terrible acts like rape and looting.

But right now, Russia isn't facing consequences, and we're not getting justice. This does not resemble justice or bring us closer to real peace. Some of our allies seem focused only on stopping the fighting, not on achieving real fairness and peace. I'm not hopeful about achieving a just peace. Time will show who's right. I hope I'm wrong about this.

Still, I'm sure that people who see things optimistically or believe in quick fixes will gladly accept us moving towards a just peace.

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About the author. Boryslav Bereza, public activist, former Member of Parliament of Ukraine

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