The Russo-Ukrainian war has lasted for half a month, exceeding many people's expectations of blitzkrieg, has caused more than 2.6 million Ukrainian refugees to flee their homes into European countries such as Poland, according to figures released by Ukrainian President Zelenkis, about 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war since the beginning of the war, and the real number is only a lot more. According to the Civilian Casualties released by the United Nations on March 12, Ukraine has suffered 1,581 civilian casualties, including 579 dead and 1,002 wounded. On March 2, the Russian Ministry of Defense released the russian casualty figures, 498 Russian servicemen died in the course of military missions, 1597 soldiers were injured, the latest figure is certainly a lot higher. Instead of stopping, the war spread to the western part of Ukraine. According to french President Emmanuel Macron revealed after his latest phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, "Putin is very frank, but has no plans to truce." How can the Russo-Ukrainian war stop, and who can make Russia stop the war?
Thomas Friedman, a well-known columnist of the New York Times, said in an article on March 8 that the war in Ukraine has become a greater tragedy for the Ukrainian people and a greater threat to the future of Europe and the world. Friedman argues that there is only one country that might be able to stop it right now, not the United States, but China. If, instead of remaining neutral, China announces its participation in an economic boycott of Russia – or even simply strongly condemning Russia's gratuitous invasion of Ukraine and demanding its withdrawal – it may be enough to shake Putin to halt this vicious war and at least bring him to a halt, who now has no important allies in the world but other important.
It is clear that Friedman wants to put the blame for ending the war in Ukraine on China, overestimating China's influence over Russia, underestimating Putin's strategic motives and the cost that Russia can afford, and avoiding the fundamental and American responsibility for the outbreak of this war.
Contrary to Friedman's view, I believe that the key to ending this war is in the hands of the United States, not in China. China has a saying that "the bell must be tied to the bell", this war is essentially a confrontation between the United States and Russia, which is caused by the United States promoting NATO's eastward expansion, pulling Ukraine and Georgia into NATO together, and seriously squeezing Russia's security space.
Russia's pre-war demand was for Ukraine to remain neutral and not to join NATO. When Russia deployed more than 100,000 troops in the Russian-Ukrainian border area, the United States constantly warned Russia that it would start a war, and the United States also had a lot of information about Russia's intention to start a war. If the United States really wants to avoid war, it should negotiate with Russia at this time, take a step back, sign a treaty with Russia together with NATO, promise and guarantee Ukraine's neutrality, and prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, and Russia will lose the reason to start a war. But the United States did not do so, did not make a fundamental effort to avoid war.
The war has been fought for half a month, and in the face of the bloody reality, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has expressed his willingness to remain neutral and not seek to join NATO. In this way, as long as the United States, NATO, together with Ukraine and Russia, sign a peace treaty, establish Ukraine's neutrality, no longer expand NATO eastward, and ukraine's non-accession to NATO is fixed in the form of a legally effective treaty, a peace agreement can be reached and this war can be stopped! The question is, does the United States really want to stop this war? You can stop at any time if you wish.
Economic sanctions will not stop Russia from going to war. Although the unprecedented economic sanctions in the West have caused huge losses to Russia, the Russian side has made it clear that the economy is not the primary consideration. It is entirely understandable that common sense in international political theory tells us that any country puts national security first, just as human life takes precedence over property. Not only will Western economic sanctions not stop Russia from going to war, but even if China and the rest of the world impose sanctions, they won't stop Russia unless it has reached its intended goals.
The United States has no reason to call China to sanction Russia. The war was fought by the United States and NATO, not by China. Relations between countries are very complicated, but 'there is a head for wrongs, and there is a master for creditors', Russia has not hurt China, and China has no reason to sanction Russia. The United States and the West sanction Russia, itself also suffered huge economic losses, asking China to sacrifice its own economic interests to eliminate the evil consequences of Western sanctions, is too much! Moreover, the United States and the West have maintained a large number of sanctions against China at the same time, which not only caused serious losses to China, but also lacked basic respect for China, and now it is naïve to ask China to sacrifice its own interests to help eliminate trouble! Put China like a European country, sold by the United States, and help count the money?