Zelensky is playing a diplomatic game with Trump - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
The president of Ukraine is building a strategy for relations with potential US President Trump. Zelensky is trying to make sure that Putin is responsible for the failure of peace talks.
President Vladimir Zelensky's diplomatic maneuvers in relations with Donald Trump are to make sure that the blame for any unsuccessful peace initiative will be placed on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This is reported by Politico, reports UNN.
Details
According to the publication, The appointment of US President-elect Donald Trump Keith Kellogg, a former national security adviser and retired honored General of the United States, to the post of Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia reassured Kiev.
Kellogg has publicly argued that any agreement to end the nearly three-year war of attrition must include strong security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure lasting peace and prevent a new Russian invasion.
And unlike other members of Trump's circle, Kellogg welcomed President Joe Biden's decision to approve Ukraine's use of long-range missiles supplied by the United States to strike targets in Russia, saying it gave Trump "more leverage" and adding that "it gives President Trump more opportunities to turn away from it.
Kellogg is a man with whom Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his entourage can work, and the Ukrainian leader is already deftly adapting to the changed politics in Washington and the changing political dynamics in Europe, demonstrating his willingness to sit down at the negotiating table. This is exactly what his American advisers are calling for, leaving Putin the opportunity to be Mr. "no", risking incurring the wrath of Trump
The publication notes that this is demonstrated by Zelensky's interview on Friday with the British TV channel Sky News. In it, the president suggested that if Ukraine is accepted into NATO,
Russia will retain de facto control over the Donbas and Crimea, but without Kiev recognizing their annexation or official cession of territory, which will require changing the Constitution of Ukraine.
Politico believes that the probability that Trump will approve Ukraine's membership in NATO is even less than the probability that Biden will reluctantly agree. There will be legal problems related to the fact that the alliance's collective defense obligations will not apply to the occupied parts of Ukraine. And Putin and his aides have repeatedly made it clear that they will never agree to Ukraine's accession to NATO. Just thinking about it is a wake - up call for an angry bull.
However, it is possible that this statement of Zelensky had other goals, writes Politico. the president probably wanted to demonstrate a willingness to consider various options, while the Ukrainian leader made it clear that he wanted to work with Trump one-on-one. "I want to share my ideas with him and I want to hear him," Zelensky said.
As former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pointed out, Kiev understands that it will have to rebuild and make sure that it does not get into an unpleasant situation with Trump, so Zelensky emphasizes the importance of finding diplomatic solutions.
Zelensky's task in relations with Trump is to make sure that the blame for the failure of any peace initiative falls on Putin.
