While the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than a year, the issue is becoming increasingly important as war weariness reaches the West and countries are no longer willing to fund the Ukrainian military. “Now everyone is actually waiting for a spring offensive and some kind of breakthrough to break out of that stalemate,” says former Secretary of State Uri Rosenthal.
For example, the town of Bachmoet was fought for eight months without significant results, although the Russians appear to have finally forced a breakthrough there. According to foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg, US President Joe Biden told Zelensky months ago to give up the city. “Stop it, it’s just a symbol, go focus on a spring offensive.”
Diplomacy
Rosenthal calls this a “relevant point”. According to him, it is also interesting what would happen if a spring offensive actually began and Ukrainian troops approached the Crimea. Zelensky reportedly said he would be willing to negotiate over Crimea in that case, according to Rosenthal a signal that he was being pressured by the United States. ‘The world’s major powers, the United States on one side and China on the other, have both drawn some red lines. I think America has made it known not to go to war in Crimea and China has told Putin not to embark on nuclear adventures.
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Despite this, Western foreign ministers, including Wopke Hoekstra, have so far refused to comment on whether a compromise should be sought. “That’s not what we’re about, that’s what Ukraine is about,” according to Hammelburg, is invariably the answer. “I think it’s a stupid answer. Because either you show solidarity and say ‘boys, until the end’, or you have to make concessions, and then you have to say it openly.’
Europe pays
According to Rosenthal, the diplomatic language of foreign ministers is probably not representative of the way conversations are conducted in the background of “silent diplomacy”. “Both from the American and Chinese sides. I recently heard a former German Bundeswehr Chief of Staff say that it will look like this: America and Russia sit across from each other, Ukraine is there and can participate in the discussion, and Europe pays.”
At least Europe will then pay for the reconstruction, Rosenthal says, and the longer the war goes on, the greater the pressure from America to increase military spending and support for Ukraine.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
