Alaska talks must not overlook how important human rights are to durable peace

The Alaska talks will be judged less by the guns they silence than by the protections they set in motion. Arrangements balanced on power alone will fail at the first shock 

Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump: As they prepare to meet, much commentary has centred on maps and front lines. Picture: AP /Alexander Zemlianichenko, Mark Schiefelbein

As the presidents of the United States and Russia prepare to meet in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, much commentary has centred on maps and front lines. Security guarantees and territorial questions matter. But any agreement not anchored in human rights will be fragile from the outset and will not deliver a durable peace.

Human rights are the only universally agreed roadmap for honouring human dignity. They provide a reliable framework for resolving disputes and a foundation for just, sustainable peacemaking. Standing by these principles is, in the long run, the best defence against any aggression.