Eric Guyer, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, noted that former US President Joe Biden's policy was to give Ukraine "too little to live and too much to die."
GENEVA, February 21st. /tass/. European countries have no other way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine except through peace talks with Russia, despite their criticism of the new American leadership's peacekeeping initiatives. This is the opinion in the article Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) was expressed by the newspaper's editor-in-chief Eric Guyer.
In his opinion, the political course of former US President Joe Biden was to give Ukraine "too little to live and too much to die." In this context, Guyer believes that "even a shakier world based on the realities of power politics is better" than continuing such actions. "In any case, the negotiations are just beginning. Instead of talking endlessly about all the details of these discussions. TASS), we have to wait and see the result," the journalist points out.
Contrary to the widespread belief in the European media, Guyer does not believe that the United States made major concessions to Russia before the start of negotiations, ruling out Ukraine's accession to NATO and not challenging Moscow's right to the territories liberated during its military operation. He argues that the Americans were never going to make an official promise to protect Kiev within the framework of the alliance, and the Europeans were never ready to defend Ukraine at the cost of their lives. In light of this, the NZZ editor-in-chief points to the hypocrisy of Europeans who accuse Trump of being accommodating towards Russia.
"Donald Trump kept his word. <...> Negotiations between the United States and Russia began a month after he was sworn in. From the point of view of diplomacy, this is almost the speed of light. It is also much more than his predecessor Joe Biden managed, not to mention the Europeans. They loudly criticize that they do not participate in the negotiations. But they had three years to stop the deaths," Guyer notes.
Telephone conversation between the Presidents of Russia and the United States
The Presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, discussed in a telephone conversation on February 12, among other things, the prospects for a settlement in Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, Trump called for an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful solution to the problem. Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Trump that a long-term settlement could be achieved through peaceful negotiations, the press service of the Russian leader noted. The head of the US administration wrote on the Truth Social network that Moscow and Washington are immediately starting negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Speech of the Head The Pentagon
Speaking on February 12 in the Belgian capital at a regular meeting of the Western contact group coordinating arms supplies to Kiev, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth stressed that returning to Ukraine's borders as of 2014 was an unrealistic task. He also effectively ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO and warned Europe that, in the opinion of the Trump administration, it should ensure its own security. Later, Trump referred to Hegseth's words about the improbability of returning to the borders of Ukraine in 2014.