U.S. diplomacy has privately asked the Ukrainian government to leave open the possibility of negotiating a peace deal with Russia to convince allied countries that the war in Ukraine is not festering and there is an exit option, sources close to the negotiations have told the ‘Washington Post’.
These sources speak of a «calculated attempt» on the part of the US to guarantee Kiev the backing of governments whose electorates are beginning to tire of the conflict and the economic consequences it entails.
«Fatigue over Ukraine is a reality for some of our partners,» a U.S. official acknowledged to the media on condition of anonymity.
However, the U.S. government has also conveyed to Kiev its conviction that none of Russia’s offers to negotiate have any credibility given its exaggerated demands, which virtually amount to unconditional surrender and implicit recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Ukrainian territories it has taken over.
Indeed, in late September, following the Russian annexations, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky declared it «impossible» to negotiate with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. «We will negotiate with the new president,» he said in a speech.
However, U.S. officials consulted by the newspaper do not rule out the possibility that Zelenski supports the possibility of a reopening of negotiations once winter arrives, when low temperatures make fighting practically impossible and a window for diplomacy opens.
For the time being, and in view of the Ukrainian advances in Kherson and the possible attack last week against the port of Sevastopol, American officials are now wondering whether Ukraine intends to launch offensives in the Crimean peninsula, a strategy that could end up burying all expectations of a peace agreement given the strategic importance that this territory, incorporated into Russia since 2014, represents for the Kremlin.
«Some of the G7 countries that have called for a fair and negotiated peace see a possible turning point if Ukrainian forces move closer to Crimea,» according to the newspaper’s sources.
