Amid an intense conflict continuing, the government of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin are in negotiations for a meeting. However, the U.S. State Department does not want Zelenskyy and Putin to negotiate an end to hostilities.
Reuters – “Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s spokesman said on social media on Friday. “Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace,” spokesman Sergii Nykyforov added. (link)
Unfortunately for Zelenskyy an end to the fighting would be against the interests of the Biden administration. Highlighting the point, the U.S. State Department does not want Zelenskyy and Putin to meet. The Biden administration conveys a very telling message; from their perspective saying only United States is permitted to negotiate with Russia on behalf of Ukraine. Zelenskyy needs to stay out of it.
WASHINGTON: Russia’s offer for talks with Ukraine is an attempt to conduct diplomacy “at the barrel of a gun”, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday (Feb 25), saying Russia must stop its bombing in Ukraine if it is serious about diplomacy.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Friday that Russia was ready to send a delegation to the Belarusian capital Minsk for talks.
Russia had attempted to engage in “a pretense of diplomacy” even as it prepared to invade Ukraine this week, Price told reporters at a news briefing. “Now we see Moscow suggesting that diplomacy take place at the barrel of a gun, or as Moscow’s rockets, mortars, artillery target the Ukrainian people,” he said. “This is not real diplomacy. Those are not the conditions for real diplomacy.”
[…] Responding to reports that the US government had ordered officials to stop most contacts with Russia, Price said the invasion of Ukraine had “fundamentally changed” Moscow’s relationship with Washington and other nations. But US officials would continue to engage with their Russian counterparts on important national security issues, including the talks to return to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, he said. (read more)
The arrogance and controlling attitude by the U.S. State Dept tells us all we need to know really.
The Biden administration has created this crisis between Russia and Ukraine for a convenient purpose, and the White House is not about to let Zelenskyy screw it up and create peace.
The U.S. wants President Zelenskyy to leave Ukraine so the State Department can take full control over the narrative. Zelensky is refusing to leave.
…”Listen you little shit, we’ve put a lot of time, money and effort into creating this mess – and I’ll be damned if you and your little scruffy band of tin soldiers are going to be allowed to act as if this is your war to negotiate.”…
