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Is World War III coming?

The recent demolition of the bridge that connects Crimea and Russia, the consecutive defeats of Russia's military in its occupied territories of Ukraine and the rising opposition in Russia to the war can prompt a desperate Putin to hit the nuclear button to force Ukraine into capitulation.

Editorial board (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, October 13, 2022

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Is World War III coming? People stand by a crater and the remains of a rocket in central Kyiv on Oct. 10 after Ukraine's capital was hit by multiple Russian strikes earlier in the day, the first since late June. The head of the Ukrainian military said that Russian forces launched at least 75 missiles at Ukraine, with fatal strikes targeting the capital Kyiv, and cities in the south and west. (AFP/Sergei Supinsky)

P

resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo needs to redouble his efforts in his capacity as president of the Group of 20 leaders to find a graceful exit from the war in Ukraine. Jokowi can no longer pursue the economic agenda of the G20 summit he will host next month without doing anything to deescalate the eight-month-old conflict.

President Jokowi should accept the likelihood of the Ukraine war disrupting the whole agenda of the Bali summit, given the real danger the confrontation is posing to Europe and the world. The possible deployment of nuclear weapons can no longer be ruled out as indicated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As reported by TIME, Putin warned last month that “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without a doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people,” he said in a nationally televised speech. “This is not a bluff,” Putin repeated his threat earlier this month.

United States President Joe Biden responded that Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons".

The recent demolition of the bridge that connects Crimea and Russia, the consecutive defeats of Russia’s military in its occupied territories of Ukraine and the rising opposition in Russia to the war could prompt a desperate Putin to hit the nuclear button to force Ukraine into capitulation. The consequences of such miscalculation are far-reaching, as the whole world will suffer.

Russia is believed to possess 6,257 nuclear warheads, while the US 5,500. Many analysts believe no nuclear weapon state dares to start a nuclear war, although the threats of any use of weapons of mass destruction persist.

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This week Russia launched the biggest air strikes since its invasion in February and its forces bombarded vital objects and major cities in Ukraine to retaliate against the humiliating bombardment of the bridge that disrupted an important supply line for Russian troops.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more arms supplies from the West to defend the nation from the assaults. It seems that as the war protracts, so do the disruptions in the global supply chain, adding more woes to the world’s ailing economy.

We call on President Jokowi, if necessary, to repeat his shuttle diplomacy to Moscow, Kyiv, and to members of the G7 countries as he did in June. We should not entrust the problem-solving efforts only to NATO, the European Union and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

On his first trip to Moscow, President Jokowi took a clear distance from the conflict between Russia against Ukraine. But this time around, he needs to talk more openly and straight to the point that the war will damage not only Putin’s credibility at home and abroad, but also puts at risk all of mankind.

If the war rages on, no one will emerge as the winner. All will concede defeat, with Putin the biggest loser because of the damage his expansionist will has done to his world reputation.

We call on President Jokowi to play a part in the global mission to bring peace back and to spare this universe from a World War III.

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