Photo/Illutration U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, speaks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha during a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)

“Man is an animal capable of making promises” is a philosophical truism that is said to have been around for a long time.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975), a prominent historian and political theorist of the 20th century, expounded on her profound discourse on the power of promise in her 1958 work “The Human Condition.”

A promise, according to Arendt, transforms the highly uncertain future into a concrete act in the present.

If I may be allowed the freedom to misrepresent what she wrote, a promise, in her thinking, means a beginning. Also, “hope” was another word she used.

Now, what about this promise?

Ukraine, which is under Russian invasion, has reportedly agreed with the United States to consent to an “immediate 30-day cease-fire.”

Will this be the first step of the proverbial “walk on thin ice” toward the end of the war? It was just a little over 10 days ago that the world was shocked by the flare-up in the White House between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States.

Russia’s reaction is the next thing to watch. Ever since the Russian invasion of Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been resorting to force with abandon and broken his word repeatedly.

Given that history, Ukraine needs a full guarantee against another Russian invasion. Otherwise, the cease-fire agreement will only benefit Russia.

In the last three years, as many as 12,000 civilians in Ukraine have been killed, including at least 669 children, according to a report. This all-too tragic reality must be made to end as soon as possible. I could not say this strongly enough.

To go back to semantics. A promise is different from domination or submission. A promise comes into existence only if the party making it acknowledges and trusts the other party. And these conditions match those for a cease-fire.

I want to believe in what Arendt called “hope.”

—The Asahi Shimbun, March 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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