Biden talks to Zelensky

 

 President Joe Biden talks with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky two days after saying the United States would play a bigger role in talks to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Euronews reported.

Biden talks with Zelensky two days after a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Putin outlined his concerns about Ukraine's bid to join NATO, and Biden suggested that Washington could join European efforts to help end it. of the territorial dispute between the two parties.

 Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed separatist rebels in the Donbas region who built semi-autonomous territories around the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. Bordering Russia, both territories are home to the Russian-speaking minority in Ukraine.

In recent weeks, US intelligence has reported a large concentration of troops on Russia's border with Ukraine, raising fears that Moscow may be ready to annex these territories, like Crimea.

 As Biden reiterated his promise to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it launches military action against Ukraine during the talks, Biden administration officials said the president could ask Kiev to accept more autonomy for separatists in eastern Ukraine. 

This could formally give the people of this region more power over some local issues. Administration officials did not mention ceding any territory.

 This reflects the "special status" proposed for Donbass in an EU-mediated peace agreement in 2015, which was never implemented and is seen as controversial in Ukraine and the United States, where it is seen as a major concession in favor of Moscow and a violation. of Ukrainian territorial sovereignty.

In a statement after talks with Biden, Ukraine said Zelensky offered "clear proposals to unblock the peace process and is ready to discuss them in various formats."

 Biden will also have to balance Ukraine's desire to join NATO. The United States and NATO have rejected Putin's demands that Russia receive assurances that Ukraine will not be admitted to the Western military alliance.

But senior State Department officials have warned Ukraine that NATO membership is unlikely to be approved in the next decade, according to a source familiar with the informal talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 It will be a challenge for Biden to encourage Kiev to accept some of the facts on the ground in eastern Ukraine, without appearing to yield to Putin - a view that could encourage the Russian leader and unleash new resistance from Republicans as Biden's popularity is already in decline.

Concessions that may be requested from Ukraine may include measures such as allowing local authorities in Donbass to control their own health care, police and schools, said former US Ambassador to Kiev Stephen Pfeiffer.

 After speaking with Zelensky, Biden briefed the leaders of nine NATO member states in Eastern Europe, including three former Soviet republics. This is part of weeks of coordination with NATO allies in response to the build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.