Use G20 talks to give peace a chance, US tells Ukraine
White House eyes opportunity to seek end to war as Sunak and Zelensky discuss how to confront Russia at next week’s summit
THE United States is urging Ukraine to use a “window of opportunity” for peace talks to end the war as world leaders prepare for a possible showdown with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, at next week’s G20 summit.
A US general said that a lull in fighting over winter might open the door to a negotiated settlement as White House officials hold talks with the Kremlin.
It comes as Russia started a withdrawal from Kherson, allowing Ukraine to advance on the only regional capital Moscow captured earlier this year.
The Biden administration has been privately telling Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, to drop his refusal to talk with Russia, it was reported last week
Last night Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, denied pressuring Ukraine to make concessions.
But the senior Biden official made a surprise visit to Kyiv in recent days and has been speaking to the Kremlin, according to US media.
“What we’re doing is consulting as partners and showing our support, not just through public statements or moral support but through the tangible physical support of military assistance,” he said last night.
The diplomatic drive comes ahead of the G20 summit, where Mr Putin may appear by video link.
Sergei Lavrov, his foreign minister, is set to lead the Russian delegation.
Rishi Sunak and Mr Zelensky yesterday discussed confronting Russia at the meeting, in which Ukraine’s key allies will sit down with several non-western powers that have so far maintained a neutral position on the war.
Mr Zelensky said that he and the Prime Minister “agreed common positions” for the summit, which opens in Bali on Tuesday.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The leaders agreed that any Russian withdrawal from the occupied city of Kherson would demonstrate strong progress for the Ukrainian forces and reinforce the weakness of Russia’s military offensive, but it was right to continue to exercise caution until the Ukrainian flag was raised over the city.
“The Prime Minister praised the
‘The Prime Minister praised the bravery of the Ukrainian armed forces and reiterated the UK’S unwavering support’
bravery of the Ukrainian armed forces and reiterated the UK’S unwavering military, economic and political support.”
In his nightly address yesterday, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had to “go all the way – both on the battlefield and in diplomacy” to liberate the rest of its territory from Russia.
Joe Biden will use the G20 summit for his first meeting with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, it was also announced last night.
China has largely refrained from criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine, but has so far held off supplying Moscow with arms.
Mr Sullivan said that Mr Biden would discuss Ukraine with Mr Xi, and praised as “constructive” the Chinese president’s recent criticism of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Ahead of the G20, Gen Mike Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Russia and Ukraine should “seize the moment” of an anticipated winter lull in the fighting to restart dialogue on a possible end to the conflict.
He said that Russia and Ukraine had each suffered about 100,000 soldiers killed or wounded, and that negotiations would depend on both sides accepting that they cannot achieve battlefield victory.
Ukraine last night announced the liberation of 41 settlements after Russia announced it was abandoning Kherson.
Kyiv’s forces entered the front-line village of Snihurivka, about 30 miles from Kherson city, early on Tuesday. By evening there were unconfirmed reports that they had reached Chornobaivka, a suburb within 10 miles of the city. Mikhailo Podolyak, an aide to Mr Zelensky, warned that there could be intense fighting for the city and that Russia might use artillery firing from the eastern side of the river to destroy it.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, ordered all of the invading troops to withdraw from the right bank of the Dnipro river in a televised meeting with the country’s commander in Ukraine on Wednesday.
Gen Sergei Surovikin said that the position was untenable and the retreat was necessary to save the lives of Russian soldiers, but the decision has been widely accepted by Russian propagandists as a defeat.
Ukrainian officials have responded angrily to previous calls for peace talks,
warning that Russia would use any temporary pause to rearm if it is not comprehensively defeated.
Gen Surovikin’s remarks followed a flurry of reports that American officials had demanded Mr Zelensky drop his public refusal to negotiate with Russia as long as Mr Putin is in power.
Mr Sullivan over the weekend flew to Kyiv to meet the Ukrainian leader, and has also recently spoken by telephone with Nikolai Patrushev, his Russian counterpart, in a bid to restart dialogue.
Mr Zelensky did not mention his previous refusal to speak to Mr Putin in a public address listing his conditions for talks on Monday. He said that Russia must restore Ukrainian territorial integrity, pay reparations and allow the prosecution of war criminals if talks are to succeed.
Sources close to the Ukrainian government suggested Kyiv was open to talking but that Mr Zelensky had not changed his view that attempts to negotiate with Mr Putin are useless.
“If you look at Putin’s latest speeches, he has not changed his strategic objectives at all,” said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former defence minister who remains close to the government. “So what kind of compromise can there be?”
Mr Zagorodnyuk said territorial concessions were a red line for Ukraine that Mr Putin would not accept, and that Russia would use any temporary ceasefire as cover to rearm for fresh assaults.
He suggested a change of regime in Moscow would bring to power a government more willing to end the war.
Pavlo Klimkin, a former Ukraine foreign minister, said diplomacy must be accompanied by continuing military pressure on the battlefield.
“The West is key. The readiness to raise the stakes, to keep the flow of weapons and money,” he said.
The British Government denied that it sees any softening of US resolve following this week’s midterm elections.