The administration of US President Joe Biden is privately encouraging Kiev to demonstrate a readiness to negotiate with Moscow, American newspaper reports citing people familiar with the discussions.
The newspaper said on Saturday that Washington does not want Ukraine to start negotiations with Russia, but, instead, aims to ensure that Kiev has the support of other countries.
"Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," one US official said.
According to the newspaper, concerns are mounting in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, as food and fuel prices are rising amid Russia’s ongoing special operation in Ukraine.Russia-Ukraine talks began at the end of February after the start of Moscow's military operation. The last round of the negotiations concluded in Istanbul on March 29. The talks have since stalled.
Russia-Ukraine talks began at the end of February after the start of Moscow's military operation. The last round of the negotiations concluded in Istanbul on March 29. The talks have since stalled.
In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was still open to talks with Kiev and called on Ukraine to stop the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, stated that Kiev was ready for dialogue with Moscow, but only if another president came to power in Russia. The Kremlin responded that Moscow would wait for a change in the stance of Ukraine's current president or his successor.
This WAPO report comes after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday to 'underscore' Washington's support amid the escalation of the war in Ukraine.
Sullivan affirmed that the United States will continue economic and humanitarian assistance and ongoing efforts with partners to hold Russia accountable for its aggression.
The recent surge in Russian attacks has resulted in massive blackouts. Besides this, Kyiv residents are under severe water shortages as one of the strikes hit an energy facility that powered 350,000 apartments in the capital, CNN reported.
In total, the United States has now committed more than USD 18.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration.
Since 2014, the United States has committed more than USD 21 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than USD 18.2 billion since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on February 24. (ANI)
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
The discussions illustrate how complex the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine has become, as U.S. officials publicly vow to support Kyiv with massive sums of aid “for as long as it takes” while hoping for a resolution to the conflict that over the past eight months has taken a punishing toll on the world economy and triggered fears of nuclear war
While U.S. officials share their Ukrainian counterparts’ assessment that Putin, for now, isn’t serious about negotiations, they acknowledge that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ban on talks with him has generated concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the war’s disruptive effects on the availability and cost of food and fuel are felt most sharply
In the United States, polls show eroding support among Republicans for continuing to finance Ukraine’s military at current levels, suggesting the White House may face resistance following Tuesday’s midterm elections as it seeks to continue a security assistance program that has delivered Ukraine the largest such annual sum since the end of the Cold War.
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