The Kremlin responds: Who governs Russia is not Biden's decision 6:39
(CNN) —
Russia and Japan are officially at war.
Seventy-six years after the end of World War II, talks to finally declare peace between Russia and Japan collapsed late last month.
The two nations never reached a treaty because Russia refused to cede four islands that the Soviet Union seized off Japan's northern coast in 1945. The Washington Post reported Thursday that thousands of Japanese who fled the islands after that former invasion now they see their dream of returning home frustrated by the new tension over the war in Ukraine.
Russia said it would withdraw from peace talks over the disputed territory in response to sanctions imposed by Japan following its invasion of Ukraine.
It is a classic example of the "frozen conflicts" that have persisted in regions around the world long after the fighting has ceased.
Last week, missile strikes continued to hit Ukraine's cities, despite the Russians saying they were refocusing their strategy on the war in the eastern part of the country.
No one knows how the war will play out and whether either side could win, but it is very likely that it will also turn into a frozen conflict.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief suggested last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to separate western Ukraine from Russian breakaway parts to the east, and create a divide much like the one between North Korea and South Korea. from the south.
That's another frozen conflict, even though the Korean War hostilities ended on July 27, 1953.
"For a brief moment this week, it seemed vaguely possible that Russia could moderate its brutal onslaught on parts of Ukraine," Frida Ghitis wrote.
"After Russian envoys spoke with a Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday, the Russian deputy defense minister announced that Moscow would withdraw its forces and 'drastically reduce military activity' around the cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv to boost the 'mutual trust'".
Videos show Russian attack on fuel depot in Odessa 2:02
"But those who have been paying close attention to Russia under its leader, Vladimir Putin, knew better than to take his word for it."
Can Putin's word be trusted? Ghitis asked.
"How do you negotiate with an interlocutor that routinely, repeatedly and unscrupulously lies? How do you negotiate with a regime that has a decades-long history of failing to honor its international commitments?"
In the Financial Times, Edward Luce argued: "At some point, the West will have to talk to the enemy it has, rather than the one it would like to have. That will mean making some kind of deal with Putin. The alternative - targeting the Russia's unconditional surrender and Putin's ouster — is a gamble that Western leaders cannot afford."
Luce noted that "few believe it is likely that Putin will abandon his ultimate ambition to swallow Ukraine. Any agreement, let alone a ceasefire, should be treated as a tactical pause."
Her grim vision: "Ukraine could be forced to suffer months or even years of bloody paralysis."
Lawrence Freedman, also at the FT, argued that "for now neither side has an incentive to commit to a long-term agreement. They are waiting for military advances and a clearer view of the likely course of the war. If the outlook is of a long stalemate, then both might feel compelled to negotiate.
In a conversation with Peter Bergen, retired US Major General Mike Repass said that the Russian invasion "completed" almost a week ago, meaning that Putin's forces "no longer have enough combat power to continue advancing the offensive." .
But he added that the extent of losses on the Ukrainian side is unclear, making it extremely difficult to predict the future course of the war.
War UkraineVladimir Putin