According to reports, Russia has sent backchannel indicators to U.S. officials suggesting that President Vladimir Putin may be open to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, but experts say the supposed negotiations are They warn that it could simply be a Russian ploy to drive a wedge between Ukraine's allies.
The signal was sent to senior U.S. officials sometime last month, two sources close to the Kremlin said. bloomberg. The letter reportedly suggests that Putin may be willing to end Ukraine's long-standing stubborn resistance to NATO membership in order to end the war.
In return, however, Russia will require the Kremlin to maintain control of the territory it has taken from Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022, currently about 18% of the country. Kiev is categorically opposed to this.
“President Putin has said many times that Russia was, is, and will continue to be open to negotiations with Ukraine,” a Kremlin spokesperson told Bloomberg.
The spokesperson added that Russia wanted to end the war through “diplomatic means” but was prepared to continue using force.
Despite reports, U.S. officials deny receiving any such messages, signals or indications from Russia.
The National Security Council said it was “not aware of the stated change in Russia's position,” noting that it is not the United States' position to negotiate the terms of war in Ukraine.
“It is up to Ukraine to decide whether, when and how to negotiate with Russia.”
Former White House aide Fiona Hill said the rumors looked like a “classic Russian play” that undermined confidence in allies by making it appear that Ukraine was negotiating terms with allies behind the scenes. ing.
“It's beneficial [Russia] “Everyone thinks there's a back channel, and it's so scary to Ukrainians that it's too secret for anyone to figure it out,” Hill told Bloomberg.
“The Russians want us to create the idea that no one or nothing else plays a role because the channel is there and everything depends on the United States,” she said. Stated.
According to a report by Bloomberg, similar rumors are circulating in European diplomatic circles.
Whatever the veracity of the claims, they come at a crucial juncture in the fight between Ukraine and Russia.
Amid a fight over the next round of U.S. aid, some Ukrainian military units are being forced to start rationing ammunition as supplies are running dangerously low.
President Biden's request in October for $61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine, on top of his proposed $106 billion expansion in national security funding, has been challenged by conservatives who believe those funds would be better spent on strengthening the U.S. southern border. Negotiations have been stalled for months.
As Ukraine's supplies dwindle due to the harsh winter fighting, Russia has committed its vast national power to the war, spending about 40% of its national budget on the military, and also using Soviet-era weapons to supplement its front-line forces. I'm trying my hand at it.
“The ratio is about 10 to 1,” a Ukrainian officer with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade told CNN, comparing Russian and Ukrainian military production.
“Russia is a country that produces ammunition and has strategic stockpiles. Yes, they use old Soviet systems. But Soviet systems can still kill people.”
