White House Says It Opposes a Ceasefire in Ukraine
by Dave DeCamp, Global Research [3-20-2023 published].
(A careful reading of this article will show that the current Washington DC government doesn't want peace in Ukraine. They are hell bent on defeating Russia, yet they are unwilling to admit that they have already LOST this conflict. They are willing to destroy Ukraine in the process & still lose this battle. — RAD)
The US is against any potential Chinese efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine as Xi is headed to Moscow.
The White House has come out against a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow to potentially mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart in Kyiv.
Xi is due to arrive in Moscow on Monday and is expected to speak virtually to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following his talks with Putin. Xi’s trip comes after Beijing released a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that called for the two sides to cease hostilities and for peace talks to begin.
READ MORE: China’s Xi to Speak with Zelensky, Meet with Putin
Zelensky expressed openness to China’s proposal, but it was immediately rejected by President Biden.
“We don’t support calls for a ceasefire right now,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday, according to Newsweek. “We certainly don’t support calls for a ceasefire that would be called for by the PRC in a meeting in Moscow that would simply benefit Russia.”
Kirby’s comments come as Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to battle in the Donbas city of Bakhmut, which has become known as the “meat grinder” due to the heavy casualties. Ukraine has been pouring in barely-trained conscripts to fight in the city, and the US thinks Kyiv is wasting too many resources in the battle.
The US wants Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive in the spring, although a senior Ukrainian official told The Washington Post last week that Kyiv doesn’t have the resources to pull it off. Kirby’s reasoning for opposing a ceasefire at this time is that a pause in fighting could concede territory to Moscow.
Kirby said the ceasefire would, “in effect, recognize Russia’s gains, and its attempt to conquer his neighbor’s territory by force, allowing Russian troops to continue to occupy sovereign Ukrainian territory and, of course, it would be another continued violation of the UN Charter.”
The US and its allies discouraged peace talks and mediation efforts that were conducted shortly after Russia’s February 2022 invasion. At that time, Moscow was seeking a deal that would have reverted to the pre-invasion territorial lines. But now, Ukraine stands to lose much more as Russia has annexed the territory it controls in the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and the breakaway Donbas republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave
Copyright © Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com, 2023
Other Relevant Insights
Regardless of what you think about Russia, it is no longer the same as the old Soviet Union. Furthermore, even a casual reading of the following articles will show that Russia has had major concerns about the actions of Washington & NATO for many years. Also, the Washington establishment & NATO have been actively scheming to break up Russia and make it bend to Washington's desires. Since Washington and NATO have not been willing to acknowledge Russia's concerns and negotiate a peaceful resolution, Russia finally decided that another approach was necessary. — RAD
It’s TOO LATE for NATO to win the war against Russia… here’s why
Ukraine Had Lost the War Before It Even Started
2023 Outlook for Ukraine – Scott Ritter
Russia-Ukraine War: How the US Paved the Way to Moscow’s Invasion
The USA Caused the War in Ukraine & Only the USA Can End It
NATO Decides to Attack Russia in Ukraine
US-NATO is at War with Russia? Military Expert
Putin’s Speech Analysis: Bioweapons and Human Experimentation in Ukraine