Well, I'm one of those who believe in diplomacy and diplomatic linkages, because all wars end in some kind of negotiated settlement, or at least even a ceasefire.
There was no negotiated end to the Korean War, but there was a negotiated ceasefire to the Korean War. That all happens ultimately through diplomacy, and at the end of the day, the diplomatic lifeline needs to be maintained.
In the Cold War, there were times when we basically had one lifeline, through the mutual and balanced force reductions talks that were going on. That was the only time when diplomats were actually meeting and talking, but at least we kept that going.
It's very important to keep the dialogue going. In the 1973 October War, Kissinger, the Americans and the Soviets worked very hard to keep the Israelis, Syrians and Egyptians from setting off a nuclear weapon that Israel had. They always kept the dialogue going.
Anyway, I'm giving you a long answer to say that diplomacy and dialogue are critical, regardless of the fighting that goes on. Yitzhak Rabin once said that you don't make peace with your friends; you make peace with your unsavoury enemies. However, you need to talk to them to do that.