LOS ANGELES.–NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the British Telegraph newspaper that the Alliance was considering deploying more nuclear weapons to Europe to confront growing concern about Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if attacks threaten the Russian homeland. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Stoltenberg’s remarks contradict a statement made in Lucerne, Switzerland over the weekend, saying that any nuclear weapons in Ukraine was inadmissible. Ukraine called the “peace summit,” excluding Russia, to drum up support for Ukraine’s 46-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky, involved in a reckless battle in Ukraine with the Kremlin. Peskov says the war in Ukraine is more about a U.S. and NATO war against the Russian Federation, than a war between Kiev and Moscow. Peskov said Stoltenberg’s comments were an escalation of tensions.
After over two years of war, Ukraine has lost 20% of its sovereign territory, now involved in a stalemate with the Russian Federation, where Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would end the conflict if Kiev agreed not to join NATO and ceded certain regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Zelensky finds both conditions unacceptable so the war goes on regardless of the perils to the European Union [EU] and world peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin, 71, said was interested in a truce if Kiev would stop its application to NATO and cede certain areas inside Ukraine. Putin used his overture as a starting point for possible ceasefire and peace talks, not an end point. Zelensky rejected Putin’s overture saying Kiev would not cede any territory to Moscow. Zelensky has rejected all peace proposals, saying they all favor the Kremlin.
NATO clarified Stoltenberg;’s remarks, saying there was no change to its nuclear deterrence policy in Europe. “NATO is committed to ensuring a safe, secrete and effective nuclear deterrent,” said NATO Spokeswoman Farah Dakhialah. “For that purpose, we have an ongoing modernization program to replace legacy weapon and aircraft,” Dakhialah said. “Beyond that, there are no significant changes to our nuclear deterrent,” insisting there’s been no policy change on the EU’s nuclear deterrent program. All the talk of nukes by the Kremlin or NATO pushes ahead the nuclear doomsday clock, yet having no arms control in place to deal with nonproliferation. Since the Feb. 24, 2022 Ukraine War, Russia and U..S. watched decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control slide into oblivion with both sides talking about the possibility of using nukes.
Biden signed a 10-year security agreement with Zelensky in Lucerne assuring that the war with Moscow goes on for years to come. Since neither side has a desisive advantage, Putin seems content to dig in, holding on to territory and when the situation presents itself, seize more territory to force Zelensky to the peace table. Zelensky has no cash of his own to pay for the war depending heavily on the U.S. and NATO. Former President Donald Trump has made the 2024 election a referendum on Ukraine, forcing voters to pick either Biden’s perpetual war or Trump’s end to the conflict. Trump promised, if elected president, he would end the war in 24 hours. Zelensky challenged Trump to say how he would do that if Kiev refused to stop the war until Putin gets out of Ukrain? Zelensky demands that Putin pull all his troops out of Ukraine, something he refuses to do.
What is Biden trying to do by supplying Kiev with nearly $200 billion, then asking the G& to guarantee another $50 billion using frozen Russian assets as collateral. Biden and Zelensky have been pushing the conflict to the point of WW III or nuclear war for over two years. Whatever prompted Putin to invade, he’s more than willing to negotiate an end to conflict as long as Zelensky also compromises. Putin has an obligation to protect the interests of Russian-speaking areas in Donbass, including Donetsk and Luhansk. When it comes to the Crimean Peninsula, Zelensky wants it back but offers Putin nothing to protect his Black Sea Fleet that was there when Premier Nikta Khrushchev deeded Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 when it was part of the Soviet Union. Zelensky can’t expect much compromise when he demands that Putin be charged at The Hague with war crimes.
Zelenksy and Biden’s demands to open up a dialogue with Putin are unrealistic. Putin is not going to agree to reparations when Zelensky has received billions from the U.S. and NATO to continue the war for over two years. Zelensky could have decided in March 2022 to end the conflict by ceding Crimea and parts of Donbas, both areas Russia occupied before the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion. Putin has right to his spoils of war, unless Zelensky can take them back by force or negotiate a return of sovereign territory at the peace table. Over two years of war has decimated Ukraine, killed thousands, destroyed its infrastructure and bankrupted its economy, now wholly dependent on U.S. largess. If Biden and Zelensky would get serious about ending the conflict, it could be over quickly. Trump, if elected, promises to end the war, whether or not Zelensky comes to the table kicking-and-screaming.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma
