Oscar Arias: Negotiating with Putin is the only way forward to end war

If the Cold War powers could come together to complete the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the 1960s, and if Central America’s warring parties could agree on settlements to end their conflicts, the same can happen today in Ukraine, writes Oscar Arias

Ukrainian and Russian officials attend Russian-Ukrainian talks in the Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park, close to the Polish-Belarusian border, northward from Brest, in Belarus.

As the crisis in Ukraine becomes more acute, so does the need for negotiations. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Ukraine is “being decimated before the eyes of the world,” with the only reasonable option being “an immediate cessation of hostilities and serious negotiations based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law.”

Though there have been talks between Ukraine and Russia, news reports have emphasised their failure to make progress. But make no mistake: a negotiated settlement is the only way forward. Even in seemingly intractable situations with intransigent actors, the power of reason can prevail. Dialogue can make the impossible possible. I know this from personal experience.