An unnamed source told The Associated Press that senior US State Department officials told Ukraine that a NATO membership is unlikely to be approved within the next decade, a sign the US is not willing to further escalate tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
Biden administration officials also told AP that the US might pressure Ukraine to give autonomy to separatists in its eastern Donbas region, something Kyiv agreed to do under the Minsk Protocol, which was signed in 2014. Such a move could significantly de-escalate tensions in the region.
After the US orchestrated a coup in Kyiv in 2014, separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts rejected the new government and declared their independence. Kyiv rejected the oblasts’ bid for independence, and a war was started, which has killed over 10,000 people.
Since a ceasefire was reached in 2015, there have been occasional major flare-ups, but the war has essentially been at a stalemate. The AP report said the US could push Ukraine to give the region more authority on local issues.
President Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by Phone on Thursday and vowed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and repeated warnings that if Russia invades, the US would implement new sanctions against Moscow. In a readout of the call, the White House made no mention of NATO or the push for giving Donbas some autonomy.
Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine situation on Tuesday. No breakthroughs were made, but the two leaders agreed to continue a dialogue on the issue. Putin denies that he is planning an invasion but wants guarantees that NATO will not continue to expand further eastward or put missiles in Ukraine that could target Russia.
US can build up their military infrastructure in Ukraine and have their nukes over there even without accepting Ukraine in NATO. NATO membership means only – this would be done for sure. What really does matter, is to have in Kiev the pro-American regime. So far there are no signs that current Kiev regime may fall down by itself. Despite the desperate economic situation, the oligarchs and the radical nationalistic gangs have the power in all Ukrainian towns.
The reintegration of DNR and LNR back to Ukraine under current Kiev regime is impossible. Neither Kiev authorities, nor DNR and LNR need it. The only scenario, which could be accepted by Kiev regime, is an ethnic cleansing of Donbass and depriving it of any ambitions for the autonomy. Such a scenario is impossible because Russia can’t accept this. At the moment about one million of citizens of DNR and LNR have also Russian citizenship and their number is growing fast.
So Biden , like Obama and Trump before him, is not eager to escalate. But look where that got us.
Russia is pretty clear about it that not only do they not want NATO annexation but they also don’t want the creeping militarization. So will Biden really clamp down on that ?
The good news is that Biden told Zelensky ‘if Russia invades we will… sanction them!’. Then again there will be a strong push for military escalation because you know, the US reputation is at stake and stuff.
“Biden administration officials also told AP that the US might pressure Ukraine to give autonomy to separatists in its eastern Donbas region”
No pressure needed. The Ukrainian regime doesn’t have to “give” autonomy to separatists in eastern Donbas. They already took that autonomy.
To be fair, almost all Americans have trouble understanding the difference between RECOGNIZING reality and allowing reality.
The report implies the US should ALLOW Donbass independence, while as you correctly stated it is already autonomous.
The same goes for the US media claiming Biden “allowed” Nord Stream 2 to be completed. Haha, as if the US didn’t do everything possible to stop it.
No, Biden just simply recognized the fact it was going to be completed. He didn’t “allow” it.
Americans don’t know the difference.
If Russia invades the US will talk Germans into either shivering in the dark this winter, or continuing to buy Russian gas as long as Ukraine’s Nazis get a hefty payout too, which of course makes it all ok.
http://thesaker.is/biden-to-russia-dont-you-dare-eat-this-moldy-bagel/
Ukraine as the moldy bagel.
This is what Putin demanded, but done as half way measures that will let it linger.
Maybe that is all Biden dares do, in the face of US warmongers on the march.
However, it is the correct direction.
“Biden administration officials also told AP that the US might pressure Ukraine…the White House made no mention of NATO or the push for giving Donbas some autonomy.”
Well, there it is. Biden says one thing publicly and the exact opposite to Zelensky. What more do you need to know? This is proof Biden lied to Putin and everyone saying that the US has backed down from starting a war in Ukraine is in fact delusional.
Everyone – even Alexander Mercouris – is saying the US has “accepted Russia’s red lines.” Well, of course that’s true. The US military knows it has no options in Ukraine, and that Russia will not accept Ukraine membership in NATO. We’ve known this for some time.
What is not discussed or even considered is whether the US would find some alleged benefit in encouraging Ukraine to start a war with Russia and thus attempt to achieve some – however hallucinatory – geopolitical “wins” over Russia as a result. The neocons and the CIA have other agendas now that Putin has nixed any possibility of Ukraine joining NATO or giving Crimea back or any of that nonsense. Those are stalking horse issues which conceal the real neocon agendas at play.
The CIA and the neocons – and indeed most of the US foreign policy elite – hate Russia and will never stop trying to damage Russia in any way and by any means necessary. At this point it appears they are willing to stop short of nuclear war (except for that idiot member of Congress who demanded we go to nuclear war with Russia over Ukraine.) But you should listen to Andrei Martyanov’s video yesterday about just that subject.
“Unnamed sources”. *sigh* Even good news cannot be believed.
And Russia has told Ukraine no NATO membership for at least… forever.
Unless Ukraine gives up any claim to Crimea, it can never join NATO as long as Crimea is a part of Russia. Which is all the foreseeable future.
And if NATO breaks its own rules and admits Ukraine into NATO with an ongoing territorial dispute or internal conflict anyway, Putin and Lavrov have already stated there will simply be no more Ukraine to join any alliance.