WASHINGTON: A day after President Joe Biden mentioned he could be keen to speak with President Vladimir Putin of Russia a couple of doable peace settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin supplied a frosty response, and prospects for settling the brutal battle remained as distant as ever.
Biden mentioned Thursday that he would maintain his first dialog with Putin since earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 if the Russian chief was “searching for a option to finish the conflict.” However U.S. officers mentioned that Russia, as they’ve beforehand assessed, was not ready to barter in good religion, and Russian officers repeated hard-line calls for which are unacceptable to Ukraine.
Though Biden’s comment was taken by some as a brand new emphasis on transferring towards peace talks with Russia, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the Nationwide Safety Council, instructed reporters that Biden’s place had not modified.
“The president has been very constant about that,” Kirby mentioned. “He’s bought no intentions to speak to Mr. Putin proper now. As he additionally mentioned, Putin has proven completely no inclination to be occupied with dialogue of any variety. In reality, fairly the opposite. All the things he’s doing reveals that Mr. Putin is occupied with persevering with this unlawful, unprovoked conflict.”
In Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, mentioned at a information convention Friday that Putin remained “open to contacts and negotiations” and that diplomacy was the “preferable method” to attain Russia’s targets.
However Peskov famous that the US “nonetheless doesn’t acknowledge new territories as a part of Russia,” an obvious reference to jap Ukrainian areas that Putin claimed to annex after referendums in September, saying that “this makes extra sophisticated the seek for frequent floor for mutual discussions.”
In reality, the Russian place basically guidelines out critical negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who mentioned in a mid-November interview with Bloomberg Information that the conflict couldn’t finish till Ukraine had reclaimed all its territory from Russia, together with the purportedly annexed areas in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
“The Russians have made it very clear that, in fact, they don’t seem to be within the temper for constructive dialogue and for constructive diplomacy,” State Division spokesperson Ned Value mentioned at a press briefing. Any dialog between Biden and Putin “is nothing greater than a hypothetical presently,” he added.
“We’ve been very clear that the US and international locations all over the world won’t ever — by no means, by no means, by no means — acknowledge territory that Russia has illegally annexed, both in 2014 or extra not too long ago, as a part of its unlawful and now brutal aggression towards Ukraine,” Value added.
Biden’s remark — made throughout a information convention with the visiting President Emmanuel Macron of France, who has spoken to Putin a number of instances over the previous yr, together with in late August — follows some indicators that senior U.S. officers have contemplated whether or not Ukraine’s current profitable offensives current a window for negotiations. Final month, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Mark Milley, instructed reporters that Ukraine’s place of “energy” creates “a chance” for a political resolution.
However Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who served as NATO secretary-general from 2009 to 2014, mentioned this week throughout a go to to Washington that he had spoken with Biden administration officers and noticed no signal that they have been pressuring Ukraine’s authorities to start negotiating with Russia.
“It was an concept that was simply floated, but it surely has been instantly shut down,” Rasmussen mentioned. “It could actually weaken the Western entrance if we tried to push Zelenskyy into untimely peace negotiations, as a result of that may be a lure.”
“Putin just isn’t honest in terms of peace negotiations,” Rasmussen added.
Ukrainian officers have mentioned the identical, warning that Russia may attempt to pause the preventing for talks — however solely to make use of that point to arrange for brand new army offensives.
Macron reaffirmed France’s help for Ukraine and nodded to the fact {that a} Ukrainian inhabitants enraged by Russia’s occupation is in no temper to compromise. France “won’t ever urge Ukrainians to make a compromise that won’t be acceptable for them,” he mentioned.
On Friday, Italy’s international minister, Antonio Tajani, mentioned that Russian assaults on civilian infrastructure targets akin to energy grids have been “making any type of dialogue not possible.”
“All of us need peace, but it surely should come via Kyiv’s independence, not via its give up,” Tajani mentioned. “The duty for this example is simply Russian. Now the Kremlin should give concrete alerts as an alternative of bombing the inhabitants.”
White Home officers mentioned they weren’t stunned by Russia’s response to Biden’s feedback. Few on the president’s nationwide safety crew anticipated something totally different from Putin, given Russia’s conduct previously a number of weeks, which has included strikes on infrastructure targets which have disadvantaged main cities together with Kyiv of warmth, gentle and operating water.
“This brutalization of Ukraine’s individuals is barbaric,” secretary of state Antony Blinken mentioned at a NATO assembly in Romania on Wednesday.
Biden’s comment about talking to Putin was not meant, the officers mentioned, to sign a shift in coverage or to point that the president was drifting from his dedication to making sure that Ukraine’s management determined when and the best way to negotiate an finish to the conflict.
In his remarks Thursday, Biden was cautious to indicate deference to Ukraine and NATO allies, saying he would speak to Putin solely after consulting with them first.
Partially, the message was meant to be a present of help for diplomacy by his counterparts. Macron has careworn the significance of sustaining dialogue with the Russian chief, if solely to keep away from harmful escalation or miscalculation. He known as Putin in August and is anticipated to satisfy with him in a couple of days. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, spoke to Putin on Friday morning.
A Kremlin readout of the decision with Scholz blamed the West for the absence of talks, saying that the Western strategy of “pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons” and offering it with monetary and political help “leads Kyiv to reject any thought of negotiations”.
Biden mentioned Thursday that he would maintain his first dialog with Putin since earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 if the Russian chief was “searching for a option to finish the conflict.” However U.S. officers mentioned that Russia, as they’ve beforehand assessed, was not ready to barter in good religion, and Russian officers repeated hard-line calls for which are unacceptable to Ukraine.
Though Biden’s comment was taken by some as a brand new emphasis on transferring towards peace talks with Russia, John Kirby, a spokesperson for the Nationwide Safety Council, instructed reporters that Biden’s place had not modified.
“The president has been very constant about that,” Kirby mentioned. “He’s bought no intentions to speak to Mr. Putin proper now. As he additionally mentioned, Putin has proven completely no inclination to be occupied with dialogue of any variety. In reality, fairly the opposite. All the things he’s doing reveals that Mr. Putin is occupied with persevering with this unlawful, unprovoked conflict.”
In Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, mentioned at a information convention Friday that Putin remained “open to contacts and negotiations” and that diplomacy was the “preferable method” to attain Russia’s targets.
However Peskov famous that the US “nonetheless doesn’t acknowledge new territories as a part of Russia,” an obvious reference to jap Ukrainian areas that Putin claimed to annex after referendums in September, saying that “this makes extra sophisticated the seek for frequent floor for mutual discussions.”
In reality, the Russian place basically guidelines out critical negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who mentioned in a mid-November interview with Bloomberg Information that the conflict couldn’t finish till Ukraine had reclaimed all its territory from Russia, together with the purportedly annexed areas in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
“The Russians have made it very clear that, in fact, they don’t seem to be within the temper for constructive dialogue and for constructive diplomacy,” State Division spokesperson Ned Value mentioned at a press briefing. Any dialog between Biden and Putin “is nothing greater than a hypothetical presently,” he added.
“We’ve been very clear that the US and international locations all over the world won’t ever — by no means, by no means, by no means — acknowledge territory that Russia has illegally annexed, both in 2014 or extra not too long ago, as a part of its unlawful and now brutal aggression towards Ukraine,” Value added.
Biden’s remark — made throughout a information convention with the visiting President Emmanuel Macron of France, who has spoken to Putin a number of instances over the previous yr, together with in late August — follows some indicators that senior U.S. officers have contemplated whether or not Ukraine’s current profitable offensives current a window for negotiations. Final month, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Mark Milley, instructed reporters that Ukraine’s place of “energy” creates “a chance” for a political resolution.
However Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who served as NATO secretary-general from 2009 to 2014, mentioned this week throughout a go to to Washington that he had spoken with Biden administration officers and noticed no signal that they have been pressuring Ukraine’s authorities to start negotiating with Russia.
“It was an concept that was simply floated, but it surely has been instantly shut down,” Rasmussen mentioned. “It could actually weaken the Western entrance if we tried to push Zelenskyy into untimely peace negotiations, as a result of that may be a lure.”
“Putin just isn’t honest in terms of peace negotiations,” Rasmussen added.
Ukrainian officers have mentioned the identical, warning that Russia may attempt to pause the preventing for talks — however solely to make use of that point to arrange for brand new army offensives.
Macron reaffirmed France’s help for Ukraine and nodded to the fact {that a} Ukrainian inhabitants enraged by Russia’s occupation is in no temper to compromise. France “won’t ever urge Ukrainians to make a compromise that won’t be acceptable for them,” he mentioned.
On Friday, Italy’s international minister, Antonio Tajani, mentioned that Russian assaults on civilian infrastructure targets akin to energy grids have been “making any type of dialogue not possible.”
“All of us need peace, but it surely should come via Kyiv’s independence, not via its give up,” Tajani mentioned. “The duty for this example is simply Russian. Now the Kremlin should give concrete alerts as an alternative of bombing the inhabitants.”
White Home officers mentioned they weren’t stunned by Russia’s response to Biden’s feedback. Few on the president’s nationwide safety crew anticipated something totally different from Putin, given Russia’s conduct previously a number of weeks, which has included strikes on infrastructure targets which have disadvantaged main cities together with Kyiv of warmth, gentle and operating water.
“This brutalization of Ukraine’s individuals is barbaric,” secretary of state Antony Blinken mentioned at a NATO assembly in Romania on Wednesday.
Biden’s comment about talking to Putin was not meant, the officers mentioned, to sign a shift in coverage or to point that the president was drifting from his dedication to making sure that Ukraine’s management determined when and the best way to negotiate an finish to the conflict.
In his remarks Thursday, Biden was cautious to indicate deference to Ukraine and NATO allies, saying he would speak to Putin solely after consulting with them first.
Partially, the message was meant to be a present of help for diplomacy by his counterparts. Macron has careworn the significance of sustaining dialogue with the Russian chief, if solely to keep away from harmful escalation or miscalculation. He known as Putin in August and is anticipated to satisfy with him in a couple of days. Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, spoke to Putin on Friday morning.
A Kremlin readout of the decision with Scholz blamed the West for the absence of talks, saying that the Western strategy of “pumping the Kyiv regime with weapons” and offering it with monetary and political help “leads Kyiv to reject any thought of negotiations”.
