Let Ukraine's Grain Deal Lead to a Peace Deal | Opinion

The recent agreement between Russia and Ukraine to allow grain shipments to resume from Ukrainian ports can be a step toward ending the war.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is allowing massive amounts of food grown by Ukraine's farmers, previously inaccessible because of the war, to be shipped again to the world where needed.

The grain is especially vital given the current global hunger crisis unfolding, which has worsened with rising food prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine six months ago. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is now taking some of Ukraine's food and delivering it to the Horn of Africa where millions are starving to death. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a life-saver as many nations remain on the brink of famine.

"The positive momentum on the food front reflects a victory for diplomacy – for multilateralism – for people caught in the grips of a cost-of-living crisis – and for the hard-working farmers of Ukraine," said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

But as Guterres cautioned, "it is only the beginning."

The grain deal must continue and there must be further diplomacy to end the war. Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced over 10 million Ukrainians from their homes. Children are suffering with thousands killed or wounded, including infants.

Samantha Halyk of Save the Children recently visited Ukraine and warned, "Hostilities continue to threaten children's lives in many parts of the country, and winter is just around the corner."

Cold and hunger could spell doom for many families if the war continues. The costs of the war are massive on human life and financial.

"The current state of stress is not sustainable – not for Ukraine, not for its neighboring countries, not for the larger global community," said Sean Callahan, president of Catholic Relief Services. "I had a chance to visit Lviv this summer and saw the steps people have taken to protect their homes and communities – lining their parks with sandbags, digging pits in case they have to defend their streets from invasion – it's devastating to know they've had to live in this constant stress."

The people of Russia are also paying the price by having to divert precious resources to the military for an unnecessary war. Continuing sanctions from Western nations are taking their toll on the Russian economy.

Russia has nothing to gain by continuing the war. There is much that can be achieved by ending it. The first step must be Russia withdrawing its troops from Ukraine. Then diplomacy will enhance security for all nations.

There could be a demilitarized border set up between Russia and Ukraine to build security for each state. After the War of 1812, when Great Britain and America realized how senseless the conflict was, they built the world's longest and safest border. Instead of starting a third war they opted for peace. Britain and the U.S. disarmed the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The American-Canadian border was made safe and free from war as a result of this and other diplomatic actions.

Russia and Ukraine must also move to peace and should set a goal of having a safe border were people don't have to fear war. The children of Russia and Ukraine should be able to grow up as neighbors in peace.

It's clear that war is senseless and cruel and does nothing to enhance security. We know that diplomacy can work from the grain deal that is feeding millions of hungry people worldwide. Now diplomacy must take the next step to end war in Ukraine and save lives.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on the book Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by The Washington Post, History News Network, Cleveland's The Plain Dealer and many other news outlets. Lambers recently volunteered to write the Hunger Heroes section of WFP's online learning game Freerice.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.