US denies pressuring Ukraine to engage in peace discussions- Analysis

US State Department Official Denies Reports of Arms Withholding to Ukraine for Negotiations

A US State Department official has refuted claims that the US and Germany are withholding arms shipments to Ukraine in order to pressure Kiev into negotiating a peace deal with Moscow. The German tabloid Bild published this alleged plan last week. Assistant US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien, stated that Washington has no policy of pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table. O’Brien emphasized that the decision to negotiate is up to Ukraine itself, according to Reuters.

Bild’s report, based on anonymous sources, stated that the US and Germany are rationing weapons deliveries to Ukraine to persuade Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that he cannot regain lost territory. The aim, as per the report, is for Washington and Berlin to provide Ukraine with enough weapons to hold the current front line, but not enough to make a significant breakthrough. This strategy is intended to indirectly compel Zelensky into talks, as reported by Bild.

While the validity of this report is uncertain, the US has been gradually reducing the size of its arms packages to Ukraine in recent months. During his visit to Kiev last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a new tranche of arms and ammunition worth $100 million, which is smaller than the $125 million initially announced. Significantly, it is also much smaller than the $400 million and $500 million deliveries earlier this year.

Simultaneously, US President Joe Biden is urging Congress to approve over $60 billion in additional funding for Ukraine. The Republican Party, which controls the House of Representatives, is divided on this issue. Some Republicans firmly oppose further expenditure on Ukraine, while others support providing aid only if it is linked to increased funding for US border security. An AP-NORC poll conducted last week revealed that 45% of Americans believe their country is providing Ukraine with an excessive amount of money.

Despite consistent statements from American officials that Ukraine will decide when to seek peace, Ukraine is heavily reliant on US aid for its government and civil society to function, according to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Aleksey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, cautioned on Friday that Ukrainians should take responsibility for developing their country. Meanwhile, despite the failure of Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive to reclaim lost territory and the reported loss of more than 103,000 Ukrainian soldiers, President Zelensky stated to Reuters that Ukraine will continue fighting until it regains all territories within its 1991 borders, including areas now under Russian control.

Source: RT news: US denies pushing Ukraine into peace talks