36.1 C
Delhi
Thursday, March 28, 2024

White House split on whether to press Ukraine into talks – NYT

A top US general reportedly believes negotiations would allow Kiev “cement gains” while other officials think it’s too soon for diplomacy

The administration of US President Joe Biden is divided on whether to insist that Kiev initiates talks with Moscow and some officials are arguing that Ukraine won’t get better terms with Russia than now, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing sources.

According to White House officials interviewed by the outlet, Gen. Mark Milley, who heads the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated during internal meetings that Kiev’s forces had achieved all that they may reasonably expect before winter sets in and “should try to cement their gains at the bargaining table” with Russia.

Milley was apparently referring to Moscow’s recent decision to withdraw its troops from the right bank of the Dnieper River, including the city of Kherson, a move made to preserve the lives of Russian soldiers.

However, other senior officials are said to oppose Milley’s line of thinking, arguing that neither Moscow nor Kiev is ready for talks now, while any lull in the fighting would allow Russia to regroup. Although they believe that the conflict will eventually be settled via diplomacy, the consensus is that the moment for talks “is not ripe,” and the US shouldn’t be seen as trying to hold Kiev back while it “has momentum.” 

Read more

Vladimir Zelensky attends a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief in Kiev, Ukraine, August 30, 2022
Zelensky names caveat for talks with Moscow

The report comes as US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he does not “think that the conflict will be resolved until [Russian President Vladimir] Putin gets out of Ukraine.” 

The same day, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan maintained that Washington “is not pressuring Ukraine” into any talks with Russia, insisting that it is “consulting” Kiev as a partner and providing it with various forms of support.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that while it is not holding any talks with the US over Ukraine, it remains open to a diplomatic engagement with Kiev. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has set out conditions for any diplomatic engagement, which include the “restoration of [Ukraine’s] territorial integrity,” “compensation for all war damage” and “punishment of every war criminal.” 

Zelensky earlier signed a decree prohibiting any negotiations with Putin, suggesting that Kiev would only talk to Russia when it has a different president.

https://ift.tt/hcGH72d 11, 2022 at 04:23PM
from RT – Daily news

Most Popular Articles