Russia’s attempt to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, along the current lines of control, was met with a firm rejection in Washington. US officials reiterated their stance, stating that they would only engage in talks with Moscow with Kiev’s consent.
According to Reuters, in late 2023 and early 2024, Russian intermediaries reached out to US officials seeking to establish a ceasefire. The Kremlin was hoping to freeze the fighting along the current lines of control. “The contacts with the Americans came to nothing,” an unnamed senior Russian official told the outlet.
Russian officials said some progress was made, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan agreed to a call with his counterpart in the Kremlin. Putin’s adviser, Yuri Ushakov, suggested the idea of a ceasefire to Sullivan, but Sullivan refused to talk about Ukraine.
Putin has also suggested talks during public remarks, including in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
US officials speaking with Reuters said there was no formal contact with Russian negotiators and stressed that Washington would not engage in talks with Moscow without Kiev. However, some admitted that Russian officials had floated talks in an unofficial manner.
The Joe Biden administration has steadfastly refused to engage in talks with the Kremlin. Before the war in Ukraine broke out, Moscow sent Washington the outlines of a deal to prevent the war. A Biden admin staffer later acknowledged that the White House refused to negotiate with Russia on Putin’s top issues, including NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe and the alliance’s expansion to Ukraine.
During the first two months of the war, Moscow and Kiev engaged in talks hosted by US allies Turkey and Israel. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Israeli officials have all confirmed that a deal was nearly reached; however, the US and UK pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to forgo a deal with Putin.
Washington’s current refusal to talk with Moscow comes as the war is going poorly for Kiev, with Ukrainian forces losing significant territory to Russia in recent months. Additionally, Kiev lacks the manpower and ammunition to mount an effective defense.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress on Monday that Ukraine’s military weaknesses have been exposed. “Ukraine’s retreat from Avdiivka and their struggle to stave off further territorial losses in the past few weeks have exposed the erosion of Ukraine’s military capabilities with the declining availability of external military aid,” she said.
CIA Director William Burns also issued a dire assessment of the conflict, saying the Ukrainians “are not running out of courage and tenacity. They’re running out of ammunition. And we’re running out of time to help them.”
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
We’re running out of time to help them, ukrainians, hundreds of thousands or more, into an early grave.
War is a Racket, written by Major General Smedley Butler, is a testament as to what war is. Who the profiteers are and who takes the losses. The game has been played a long, long time.
Kiev cannot give consent. Two years ago, Zelenski sat down with Russian counterparts and has agreed in principle to end the war. The document, 250 pages, was signed and initialed by parties representing Kiev and Russia. We dispatched Boris to snuff out the negotiations.
The document, 250 pages, went back to Kyiv and Moscow for approval or changes. Kyiv made changes. Moscow rejected the agreement with those changes. THEN Boris arrived to snuff out the negotiations.
What were the changes that Moscow rejected? Were they a small part of the overall agreement they both had initialed?
Were the negotiations close to an agreement and they were just tweaking the 250 page document before Boris came onto the scene and completely shattered the talks?
I bet it was the part were Russia demanded Ukraine to fully demilitarize, recognize all occupied territory as part of Russia, no NATO membership nor economic trade deals with the EU and definitely no export of Ukrainian Natural Gas to the EU.
Full demilitarization was not part of the Russian proposal.
Stop lying.
I was not lying. I was betting.
YOU need to stop lying, are you sure full demilitarization was not part of the negotiations?
Are you sure?
According to Lavrov, the two unacceptable changes Zelenskyy demanded from the Istanbul draft were:
– Language the Russians considered too ambiguous on the ceasefire lines, e.g. defining Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea’s status;
– Refusing to give Russia an absolute veto on all future Ukrainian military activities (Zelenskyy wanted that to be on the basis of a majority of signatory and guarantor states rather than unanimous consent).
It sounds like each side had a poison pill, and each side rejected the other’s.
1/ “According to Lavrov, the two unacceptable changes Zelenskyy demanded from the Istanbul draft-”
Link, please.
2/ “It sounds like each side had a poison pill, and each side rejected the other’s.”
Readers can be a better judge of your otherwise unsupported interpretation of what it “sounds like”…
…when they’ve read the article that, curiously, you describe in detail, but fail to link to…
…now, or in the past, when you’ve made the same unsourced claim.
I’ve linked to the video of Lavrov saying it, twice in comments here at Antiwar.com.
Laziness on your part doesn’t constitute a requirement to re-prove already proven claims on mine.
1/ “I’ve linked to the video of Lavrov saying it, twi-”
Spare me:
whether or not you’ve linked it in past, when a poster takes the time to ask key germane questions – as charrob did – supporting yr claim with only a/ yr own characterization of evidence – followed by b/ an interpretation of evidence even you allow is merely your interpretation – lacks integrity…
…plus gives a crummy image to antiwar.com.
2/ “re-prove already proven claims on mine.”
“Proven claims”? Enlightening re yr view of yr powers of argument.
3/ “Laziness on your part”
Yea I’m such a lazebag I can’t even delve into yr spellbinding posts fr a link.
Again – enlightening re who you are.
Any chance of getting that in English?
“US officials reiterated their stance, stating that they would only engage in talks with Moscow with Kiev’s consent.”
Exactly the right policy.
Yes, the US respects Ukraine sovereignty. That’s why the encouraged them to go onward with their summer counteroffensive with no air support. Something the US said the US would NEVER do. But they thought “hope and courage” would carry the day. They also called Ukraine “casualty adverse” because the Ukrainian commanders were complaining about the loss of life because they had to send troops through minefields with no mine clearing equipment. And when Ukraine WAS negotiating in March of ’22 the US sent its lackey to put an end to them. And how can you show more respect for their sovereignty than by calling the devastation Ukraine has endured as a GOOD INVESTMENT. But, sure, the US is always respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and their right to make all their own decisions(/s).
F yeah.
How it should be.
The Ukrainians are insisting to fight this war until the last Ukrainian? How do they win if none of them is left? But, the same questions also apply to us. Hey Hitlary, How do we win if we end up annihilated in a nuclear war? Huh, Boss-woman?
Hillary? Seriously? Is that your new line?
🤣
Ukraine insisting to fight?
Hey dipsh!t, Ukraine is defending their country against hitler wannabe Putin.
You trolls have completely lost your fcking mind. .
Hypocrites.
Russia will take what is wants with the US being powerless to do anything about it. Russia will make sure that they’re is no NATO or US presence in Ukraine which is in their best interest. Russia does not need the permission of the US to establish a peace in Ukraine.
If Russia could take what it wanted, it would have done so instead of fucking around for more than two years failing to take what it wanted.
Damn Right!.. Hurry the hell up Russia.
Finish them.
If they could have, they would have.
That’s it… Tough love!
That’l motivate em.
Yes, from 3 days to few more years 🤣
If you care anything for Ukraine, you’l pray it’s the former.
Yes, hurry the hell up Russia. 🤣
You can do it. 🤣
“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke
But just because the Russians haven’t got what they wanted so far doesn’t mean they won’t get what they want in time. The Confederate States of America weren’t defeated in one year, yet they were defeated. Sometimes war is a slow business.
The second strongest Army in the world cannot crush a rebellion by 300 spartans? 🤣
What bunch of losers.
The Kremlin is definitely winning 🤣
FJB worst war monger America has ever known!
Joey Biden makes Adolf Hitler seem rational.