Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has given the world a shocking reminder of how things can change in a bad way within a short span of time.
The direct victims of the conflict are the millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes, as well as those fighting with each other on the battlefields and their families.
The United Nations estimates that 12 million people have been forced from their homes in Ukraine, with 5 million having left the country altogether, in one of the biggest refugee crises Europe has ever seen. The large influx of refugees will have long-lasting impacts on the economy and social life of the host countries in Europe.
Moreover, the conflict has worsened the world economy that is still struggling to recover from the impacts of the almost three-year COVID-19 pandemic, with Europe, in particular, caught up in an unprecedented energy crisis as a result of US-led sanctions on Russian oil and gas.
Gas prices in Europe have already been setting records after Russia's energy giant Gazprom said it would entirely suspend the gas supply via the Nord Stream pipeline for three days for maintenance starting Aug 31. The uncertainty surrounding future supplies has driven benchmark European electricity prices to an "absurd level", more than 14 times its average in the 2010s. The approaching winter will make the energy shortage in Europe even acuter.
The conflict has also exacerbated the global food crisis. The World Food Progamme of the UN estimates that 345 million people in 82 countries are facing, or are at risk of, acute food insecurity today, compared with 135 million in 53 countries before the pandemic, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven up the costs of food, fuel and fertilizers.
Meanwhile, both sides have accused the other of shelling the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising fears of a nuclear disaster.
And as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned "the risk of nuclear confrontation is back－something that we have forgotten for decades".
There was a chance to change the trajectory of events, but it was squandered because of the selfishness and bigotry of some politicians in Washington.
Now as the conflict drags on with no immediate end in sight, they are calling for sending more advanced weapons in larger quantities to Ukraine to "maximize their impact on the battlefield", a scenario which will only make things worse.
There will be no winners in this conflict, whatever those safely ensconced in Washington may think.
It is six months since the hostilities commenced, the two parties should sit down and seek a negotiated end to the fighting lest it become a long grindstone of attrition, or worse.