Growing Rift Emerges Between US, Europe, and Ukraine Over Next Steps, NYT

Disagreements have emerged between the US, Europe, and Ukraine regarding their objectives in the conflict and how it should ultimately conclude. This was reported by ТАСС, citing The New York Times.

“After three months of notable unity, (…) a growing rift is emerging regarding what to do next,” the article states.

According to the newspaper, the unity of NATO and the European Union has recently been “under pressure.” For example, a lack of support from several European countries, including Hungary, for an embargo on oil imports from Russia has been noted.

The paper draws attention to the fact that Europeans are still not trying to halt the import of Russian gas. Meanwhile, France, Germany, and Italy are concerned about the potential protraction of the conflict and fear damaging their own economies.

The authors of the article argue that the rift became apparent after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he stated that after negotiations, Kyiv is likely to be forced to make territorial concessions.

The publication questions what will happen if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agrees to these concessions and whether the US and its allies will lift sanctions against the Russian Federation, suggesting that “this threatens to bury their hopes of breaking Russia's capabilities in the future.”