The United States this Sunday questioned the will of the Russian regime to reach an agreement with Ukraine to stop the war in the country .
“The negotiations seem to be unilateral. The Russians have not been inclined to any possibility of a negotiated and diplomatic solution,” said US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in an interview with CNN.
The United States representative to the United Nations said that her country supports Kiev's attempts to negotiate to end the conflict, but stressed that Moscow is not responding adequately, nor did it during the talks with Washington before launching the invasion.
Asked about the concessions that the government of Volodymyr Zelensky may make, Thomas-Greenfield argued that it is up to Ukrainians to decide and assured that the United States supports their efforts, without wanting to advance whether Joe Biden's administration would be willing, for example, to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea or independence of the self-proclaimed separatist republics of the Donbas.
“I cannot move forward how we will respond to a negotiated agreement that Ukrainians can reach with the Russians to save the lives of their people,” he said.
This Sunday, in an interview with CNN, Zelensky reiterated that he was “ready to negotiate” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and stressed that “without negotiations we will not be able to end this war.” “I am ready to negotiate with him (Vladimir Putin). I have been ready for the last two years and I think that without negotiations we will not be able to end this war,” he said in the Fareed Zakaria GPS program, within the framework of the fourth week of fighting on Ukrainian territory.
On the other hand, Thomas-Greenfield considered reports of alleged deportations to Russia of civilians from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, besieged by Moscow forces, very worrying, but said Washington cannot confirm this for now.
“It is inconceivable that Russia will force Ukrainian citizens into Russia and place them in what will basically be concentration camps or prisoners. This is something we need to verify. Russia should not transfer Ukrainian citizens against their will to Russia,” he said.
On the other hand, the diplomat assured that the United States will respond “aggressively” if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, a fear expressed by NATO, which has warned of the possibility that Moscow could mount a false flag operation after accusing Kiev of harboring such weapons on its territory.
For his part, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ruled out Sunday that Russia's use of hypersonic missiles represents a “turning point” in the conflict unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“I don't see it as a turning point. I think Russia uses them to gain momentum. We have seen villages, cities and civilians attack. We think they will continue to do so, but I don't think that changes the rules of the game,” Austin said in an interview with the CBS network.
Instead, the head of the Pentagon warned that if Russia were to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine it would be “a very serious step” and would receive “a strong response from the United States and the international community.”
He also considered Moscow's nuclear rhetoric “very dangerous”, but he was “confident in the defense capabilities” of the United States and its allies.
The Kremlin confirmed on Sunday the use of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to destroy “a large store of fuel and lubricants” in the town of Konstantinovka, in southern Ukraine.
This is the second confirmed use of Kinzhal in Ukraine and in the world, which Russia had previously used only during military trials.
Kinzhal (Dagger in Russian) is a high-precision hypersonic missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers and a speed ten times that of sound.
One of the main characteristics of the weapon is the ability to maneuver permanently during its trajectory, which makes it as difficult as much as possible to intercept it.
During the interview, Austin accused Russia of “deliberately attacking” civilians because its military operation has “stalled”.
“They are resorting to these kinds of tactics that we see every day and it's really disgusting. But I take my hat off to the Ukrainian people who are fighting bravely,” said the head of the Pentagon.
With information from EFE
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