Biden’s Withdrawal Could Shift Washington’s Stance on Ukraine
Ukraine READY for Dialogue With RUSSIA
Top Chinese Communist Party diplomats were briefed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday in Beijing that his nation is “willing and ready for dialogue and negotiations with Russia.” This represents a significant shift from the administration of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s previous repeated denials to entertain direct talks.
His final face-to-face meeting with Putin took place in December 2019; French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel chaired the discussions, which Zelensky, irritated, characterized as pointless and insisted on being mediated by “serious” nations rather than France and Germany.
Kuleba was in Beijing for discussions on the ongoing invasion and trade relations between Kiev and Beijing with senior Communist Party officials, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China, despite being perhaps Russia’s closest geopolitical ally, is Ukraine’s greatest trading partner.
In line with the UN Charter’s tenets, Kuleba stated that he and Wang “agreed that all forces must work together to find common ground on the path to restoring true peace.”
After the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry provided more information to reporters, stating that Kuleba praised the business connections between his nation and the Communist Party and endorsed China’s fictitious colonialism claim over Taiwan.
Citing “experts” sympathetic to the regime, the Chinese state media newspaper Global Times explained Ukraine’s shift in attitude as a win for China but also a sign that US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential contest may have forced Kiev to reevaluate its strategy in the war.
“Following US President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, it’s widely believed that Washington’s stance on the Ukraine crisis may change,” the Global Times claimed. The propaganda outlet cited a regime-friendly “scholar” who suggested, “the fact that Donald Trump stating that he will immediately resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict if he takes office worries Kiev.” As a result, Ukraine has to consider peace talks.
Concerns over the probable return of former President Donald Trump to the White House have been refuted by Zelensky himself.
“If Mr. Donald Trump becomes president, we will work,” he told Bloomberg News this month. “I am not afraid of that.”
This past weekend, just before Biden withdrew from the campaign, Trump and Zelensky had their first conversation in years. Zelensky thanked Trump for the talk and suggested another face-to-face encounter.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Biden has taken a very pro-Zelensky stance, providing generous financial and military support that doesn’t seem to be ending. Zelensky is “maybe the greatest salesman of any politician that’s ever lived,” according to Trump, who has questioned the strategy and said that Zelensky “walks away with $60 billion every time he comes to our country.”
However, Trump stuck to an even stricter sanctions policy against Russia, which included important restrictions on the now-canceled Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. About six months before the full-scale invasion, Biden removed the sanctions, shocking Zelensky, who described it as “unpleasantly surprised.”