Delivery time2024-01-26 18:38
Bloomberg reports citing Russian sources… U.S. officials deny
Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Kaliningrad TASS = Yonhap News) Russian President Vladimir Putin is presiding over a meeting on regional economic issues in Kaliningrad on the 25th (local time). 2024.1.26
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hwang Cheol-hwan = It has been claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin asked through unofficial channels whether the U.S. government would be willing to engage in dialogue to end the war in Ukraine.
Citing multiple figures close to the Kremlin, Bloomberg News reported on the 25th (local time) that President Putin had sent a signal to senior U.S. government officials through intermediaries last month that he was open to related discussions.
The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Putin may be willing to consider dropping calls for Ukraine to be neutralized.
These figures emphasized that even though Ukraine’s opposition to joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) may eventually be defeated, the Russian government’s control over Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian military must be recognized.
The Russian army, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, is currently in a standoff with the Ukrainian army, occupying 18% of Ukraine’s territory.
“President Putin has said on several occasions that he is open to negotiations on Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We prefer to achieve our goals diplomatically, but if not, the military operation will continue until we achieve our goals.”
However, U.S. government officials completely denied the claim that such a message was delivered from Russia.
“We are not aware of any such change in Russia’s position,” said Adrian Watson, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council. “It is up to Ukraine to decide whether, when and how to negotiate with Russia.”
Some interpret that Russia may be creating the appearance of being in direct talks with the United States behind the scenes while excluding Ukraine as part of psychological warfare.
A Ukrainian soldier resting in a trench near the front line in Kharkiv Oblast.
[AFP 연합뉴스자료사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]
“It pays for everyone to believe that there is a secret channel (between the U.S. and Russia) that no one knows about, because that would really scare Ukraine,” said Fiona Hill, who served as senior director for Europe and Asia at the NSC under former Donald Trump. “He said.
Rumors that such a secret channel is in operation are circulating in diplomatic circles in various European countries, but without exception, major authorities have dismissed them as untrue, Bloomberg reported.
However, if it is true that President Putin heard the United States’ reaction through an unofficial channel through the private sector called ‘Track 2’, it is possible that it was a result of encouragement from the war situation becoming increasingly favorable to Russia.
Due to delays in processing the $110 billion (approximately 147 trillion won) aid package from the United States and the European Union, it is unclear whether the Ukrainian military will be able to lead the war in the long term, but Russia is receiving large amounts of ammunition and ammunition from Iran and North Korea. The offensive has been accelerated by procuring weapons.
In addition, countries such as Slovakia, where a pro-Russian government came into power, declared that they would veto Ukraine’s accession to NATO, and Bloomberg pointed out that the possibility that former President Trump, who is skeptical about support for Ukraine, could be re-elected in the US presidential election in November of this year cannot be ruled out.
This is not the first time reports have emerged that the Russian government sent a ceasefire message behind the scenes.
Last month, the American daily New York Times (NYT), citing former officials close to the Kremlin, reported that the Kremlin had signaled its interest in ceasefire negotiations through multiple diplomatic channels since September of last year.
“This could be a trap, a bluff, a ploy to create friction, or a genuine offer,” said Samuel Charup, a senior political scientist at the Rand Institute, a U.S. think tank. “We have no way of knowing until someone tests it.”
hwangch@yna.co.kr
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2024-01-26 09:38:47
