8 minutes agoWhite House: The negotiations with Putin must decide Zelensky, not us
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)John Kirby, head of the US National Security Council, said today that any discussion on whether it is time to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the outcome of the war in Ukraine should be left to President Zelensky, not the US. But he immediately added that the initial “assessments that war could end up until [...]
But he immediately added that the initial “assessments that war could be completed by the end of the year now do not seem possible”.
We would like the war to end, if not today, then before the end of this year, which, of course, is fast approaching. However, given what we see on the ground in Ukraine, it is difficult to conclude that the war will be over by the end of”, Kirby told CNN.
There are still bloody battles in Donbas, especially about Bakhmut. It is a relatively small area, especially if we compare it to some of the other battles in Ukraine over the past nine months, but fighting is very intense. As far south as the Russians are concerned, the Ukrainians continue to pressure. In short, active fighting is under way now, and we expect them to continue for some time,” he said.
Kirby added that while military analysts suggest the winter could freeze “the conflict for a time, the US “do not expect fighting to stop completely in the winter months”.
Nothing suggests and we don't expect the war to end by the end of the year. That doesn't mean we don't want it, but there's nothing to suggest this,” he said.
