Ukraine (bbabo.net), - The Joe Biden administration is slowly changing its strategy in Ukraine: for almost two years it was focused on pushing Russia out of Ukraine, and now Washington is discussing a transition to a more defensive posture. Politico reports this.
With U.S. and European aid to Kiev now in serious jeopardy, the Biden administration and European officials are quietly shifting their focus from supporting Ukraine's goal of total victory over Russia to improving its position in potential negotiations to end the war, the newspaper writes, citing a Biden administration official and European diplomat working in Washington. Such negotiations will most likely mean the transfer of part of Ukraine to Russia, Politico notes.
“The White House and Pentagon have publicly insisted that there are no official changes in administration policy and that they continue to support Ukraine's goal of a complete withdrawal of Russian military personnel from the country. But along with the Ukrainians themselves, U.S. and European officials are now discussing a redeployment of Kiev's forces from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's largely failed counteroffensive to a stronger defensive posture against Russian forces in the east, according to an administration official and a European diplomat... These efforts, officials say, also included strengthening air defense systems and building fortifications, barbed wire fences, anti-tank barriers and ditches along Ukraine's northern border with Belarus. In addition, the Biden administration is focused on quickly reviving Ukraine's own defense industry to supply desperately needed weapons that the US Congress refuses to replace.
Much of this strategic shift toward defense is aimed at strengthening Kyiv's position in any future negotiations, a Biden administration official told Politico.
“That has been our theory throughout this whole affair - the only way this war will ultimately end is through negotiations. We want Ukraine to have the strongest possible position when it comes to this,” he said.
“These discussions [about peace talks] are starting, but [the administration] cannot publicly back down because of the political risk” for Biden, a knowledgeable source in the US Congress said, the newspaper writes.
Kiev could learn a lesson from the Finnish example during the Winter War that surrendering some territory, although very painful, is still worth it if the majority of the country thereby ensures its independence and ability to develop economically and politically. This is stated in an article by experts from the American analytical center Quincy Institute for Responsible Public Administration.
“As public support for Ukraine erodes over time and Washington's political elites shift their focus to the Gaza conflict, Ukraine desperately needs an endgame. US and European officials have reportedly raised the possibility of possible peace talks with their Ukrainian counterparts. This begs the question: what might a peace treaty between Kiev and Moscow look like? One historical example stands out among many as a potential model for how the Russian-Ukrainian war could end,” the analysts write.
bbabo.Net