During a visit to Kyiv, US President National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan advised Ukraine to review its goals in the war and think about realistic demands on Russia. In particular, we are talking about the position regarding Crimea.
The Wall Street Journal writes about this with reference to its own sources.
Washington made it clear to Ukraine that Kyiv should at least appear open to resolving the conflict through negotiations. Sullivan conveyed this message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his aides in Kyiv, suggesting that Ukraine would gain more leverage if it demonstrated an openness to negotiations.
In particular, Sullivan recommended thinking about more realistic demands and priorities for negotiations with the Russian Federation, including revising the stated goal of liberating Crimea.
At the same time, some European allies of the US believe that Ukraine has little reason to agree to any negotiations now. They believe that the Ukrainian army can regain more territory if Western weapons continue to flow. At the same time, public calls for negotiations can harm Ukraineʼs efforts and play into Russiaʼs hands. If the war ends now, "the Ukrainians will receive a signal that their struggle is pointless." At the same time, Russia will have time to rebuild its economy under sanctions and during wartime.
Also, European and American officials still see no signs that the Kremlin is interested in serious negotiations with Ukraine. Among them, there are also discussions about when exactly these talks should take place.
Some NATO allies believe that it will be difficult for Ukraine to make a major breakthrough because it will attack areas that are more urbanized and closer to Russia, as well as areas where Russian forces have been present longer and have had time to strengthen their defenses. Others, more confident in Ukraineʼs chances, do not believe that hostilities will stop. One of the Western diplomats said that some European partners are concerned that Washington will push Ukraine to negotiate before its troops can make further progress.
- On October 4, Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of negotiations with Russian President Putin.
- On November 7, the president of Ukraine named the conditions for the start of negotiations: restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for damages, punishment of war criminals and guarantees that the invasion will not be repeated.
- The mass media wrote that the White House influenced the softening of Zelenskyiʼs position on the issue of negotiations with Russia.
- On November 11, after the arrival of Ukrainian troops in Kherson, official Moscow made another statement about readiness for negotiations "without preconditions".