To understand how to make peace, you need to understand what things are. Knowledge and diplomacy are two forces interlinked. As in the diplomatic sucess the US has had with Iran, it can have the same with Russia, it just needs to understand how the thinking goes in Russia to find the right ideas and ways to make a peace. We did it before, we can do it again.
So who are the Russians really? On the surface, everybody sees a Communist superpower gone down, now trying to regain its power. But is this really what is happening? Russia is not a Communist superpower, it is Russia.
Even under the Communist era, it was still Russia, and Communism was an ideology, but if you dug a little under the surface, you would find, that Russia did not disappear, it was still there with all its tradition, with its fondness for ballet, with its ideas of warmth, with its ancient pride as tall men of the north with a mix of slavic identity. It revers and idolizes the great scholars of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. We know it here in Denmark, because we also have had a lot of good connections with the Russians over the millennia, even to the extent that we exchanged queens and hospitality many times. Denmark and Russia has been friends and kin for a long time. Our young prince is called Valdemar, as his forefather, who was originally called Vladimir.
Now, there is one thing that people have never understood with the Russians, and that is why each and every attempt on dominating Russians have failed, as the feeble attempt on dominating Russia with tradebarriers will not work. I mean, both Napoleon and Hitler attacked Russia with far superior weapons, and still Russia was victorious, so why would trade blocks work? It is silly. No, Russians have, since the first fall of Ukraine and the first Russians been suffering over and over again. By the Mongols, by the Europeans, but the Ottoman, and as a result, it has grown into accustomed to it, even made a philosophy to underpin the suffering, Russians call it fining (рафинирование). Each war is seen as a chance to grow into something even stronger, expanding the Rus to the farthest corner of the Globe. Remember, Rus, started as a viking state, and is now the greatest country in the world. This has cost blood in streams so unimaginable, that we as central Europeans cannot begin to understand it. This is why pressure does not work with Russia, only diplomacy works.
So, why did Mr. Putin, all of a sudden choose to work with France and Germany? Because he is also a man of peace, we should see the pattern in this, in our dealings with him in Iran, in his ways in Ukraine, where he could, if he chose, just use some of the more dangerous weapons and end the war in short term. He is basically a man of honor.
The way mr. Putin sees the world, is a fight between light and darkness, of chaos and order. Him being the caretaker of the light and the order. Why? Because Russians are independent, but in wartimes have grown used to strong leaders protecting them. He is serving that age old role as a defender of the Rus, as the father of Russia, as the strong, unflinching protector of all who are Russian. He despises weakness and corruption, he admires strength and honesty.
This is basically why he went in as a positive player in the negotiations, because, in the desperation of mr. Hollande and ms. Merkel, he sensed an honest approach for the first time in the conflict. He had the feeling, that the games are over from the European side, and he finally had someone he could negotiate with and actually make a deal with. He does not like the nationalist, and understand, that Europe is the only force that can truly make a deal with them, because we are the only one who they respect. It is as simple as that. It is not complicated, it is simple. You can only negotiate with mr. Putin if you see him for what he is; a very, very strong and honest man. He is a warrior, but not an evil man.
That is why I propose a ceasefire on the lines of the freedom of each people. Why? Because this is the honest thing to do in the situation. It is also slowly becoming a possibility, because Europe is changing. We are, basically moving the same way everybody; towards a more enlightened and simple interchange. Shedding the problems of the last century, meeting as honest men, not as schemers all the time.
This is what the Charlie Hebdo movement really did to us; it made us realize, that we have to rekindle the faith in our own values again. That in effect is idealism, idealism breeds honesty and gives power to the positive development. We came in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo crisis, and we went with what it teached us; honest, belief in democracy and the freedom of all who are seeing themselves as heirs to the long lost viking traditions. As Gauls, as Germans, as Danes, as Englishmen, as Dutch, as Franks, as Russians, and we made a deal in the thinge. This is how we did things in the old time, and that is a serious opportunity now.
G-d bless the peace we may have.