WASHINGTON (TND), –President Joe Biden’s administration will reportedly ask Ukraine’s government for territory ceded to Russia-backed groups, in an effort to appease Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Associated Press, officials from the United States plan to push Ukraine to give autonomy to the eastern regions. These areas are currently under the control of Russia-backed separatists who rebelled in 2014.
“For Biden, the challenge will be encouraging Kyiv to accept some of the facts on the ground in eastern Ukraine, without appearing to cave to Putin — a perception that could embolden the Russian leader and unleash a fresh line of condemnations by Republicans as Biden’s popularity is already in decline,” the AP reports.
Steven Pifer, a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, said that Ukraine might be asked to give Russia-aligned regions control over their police, schools, and health care.
“But I don’t see Washington pushing the Ukrainians to take steps that would compromise their sovereignty or the ability of the national government when it came to making decisions,” Pifer stated to the AP.
Biden spoke for two hours with Putin and warned that if Russia invades Ukraine the United States would take appropriate action.
“There was a lot give and take. “There was no finger-wagging,” said Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor. He also stated that if Russian troops enter America, America would support its allies. “We would provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainians above and beyond that which we are already providing and we would fortify our NATO allies on the Eastern Flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.”
U.S. intelligence officials claim that Russia has gathered 100,000 troops close to the Ukrainian border. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) said that Putin knows he can get away invading Ukraine.
“I think the sanctions need to go into place now. I think those will be supported in Congress, and those types of weaponry need to be supplied to the Ukrainians now. Not thought about, not considered or studied. They need to be on ships heading to Ukraine as we speak. I think that would send a real message to Putin that he’s not going to get away with this easily or quickly,” said Waltz.
Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, stated Thursday that it was “absolutely false” that President Biden intends to encourage Ukraine’s cede of any land to Russia.
