The Letter

The Letter from the CPC is fading into obscurity but I did have a few thoughts…

The letter echoed a familiar refrain about the need for diplomacy to settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in order to avoid escalation and extraordinary levels of destruction. Specifically, it called for direct U.S. engagement with Russia to attempt to reduce the chance of escalation and to find a path to ending the conflict. However, the letter also reaffirmed the need to maintain Ukrainian sovereignty, the justice of Ukraine’s cause, and in particular the need to include Ukraine’s voice in any kind of diplomatic settlement.

As more than one reader of the letter pointed out, this produces a contradiction. The United States is supposed to engage in direct talks with Russia (which would by definition exclude Ukraine) while also refusing any deal that lacked Ukrainian buy-in. If the U.S. cannot come to terms with Russia without Ukrainian consent, then the purpose of talks between Washington and Moscow (beyond the track 2 negotiations over nuclear assurances that have continued for the extent of the war) is altogether unclear. 

I’m aware of an effort to reframe progressive concerns about the war in a more coherent way, but it’s not clear when we’ll see a finished product. Given how badly this first letter was handled (by both its framers and the media) I’m hoping that a second effort will make more sense. There are certainly some kinds of direct contact between Russia and the US that are necessary and even welcome, and there are some kinds which are not.