Democrats Send Biden a Letter Calling for Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Democrats Send Biden a Letter Calling for Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Thirty Democrats signed a letter calling for the U.S. to pursue direct diplomacy with Moscow to end the war
Thirty House Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday calling on his administration to refocus its goals for Ukraine and negotiate for peace.
The letter, which was obtained by CNN, called on the White House to “pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire.”
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They wrote that their appeal is consistent with Biden’s earlier recognition that “there’s going to have to be a negotiated settlement,” and his concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin is out of options and does not have a clear path out.
“We agree with the Administration’s perspective that it is not America’s place to pressure Ukraine’s government regarding sovereign decisions, and with the principle you have enunciated that there should be “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to reduce harm and support Ukraine in achieving a peaceful settlement.”
The letter does not come out and say it, but it seems to hint that Kyiv will have to be forced to make concessions for security guarantees. Russia annexed Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and vowed to defend them with nuclear weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin is off the table, and that Ukraine will not part with a single inch of its territory.
WHY NOW? The Democrats say the world is closer to nuclear Armageddon than any time in decades and the global economy might not be able to handle a prolonged conflict.
A war that is allowed to grind on for years—potentially escalating in intensity and geographic scope— threatens to displace, kill, and immiserate far more Ukrainians while causing hunger, poverty, and death around the world. The conflict has also contributed to elevated gas and food prices at home, fueling inflation and high oil prices for Americans in recent months. Economists believe that if the situation in Ukraine is stabilized, some of the speculative concerns driving higher fuel costs will subside and likely lead to a drop in world oil prices.
The letter was published days after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi’s possible replacement as speaker if Republicans retake the House, told reporters that there’d be no more blank checks for Ukraine.
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“I think people are going to be sitting in a recession, and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine is important, but at the same time, it can’t be the only thing they do, and it can’t be a blank check.”
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Earlier this month, Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire who faced threats from Russia after donating Starlink satellites to Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion, faced Kyiv’s wrath for floating the idea that there should be a peaceful settlement.
Musk took to Twitter to lay out what seemed like his blueprint for peace. He said the referendums in the newly annexed regions could be done over, with UN supervision. Russia would have to agree to leave if it is the will of the people. He noted that Crimea would be formally recognized as part of Russia “as it has been since 1783 (until Khushchev’s mistake).”
Musk echoed what The Trends Journal has been saying since the beginning of the war: that Ukraine will likely end up with the same outcome, it is just a matter of how many people have to die before an agreement is reached.
Henry Kissinger, the former secretary of state, said in an interview in August that the U.S. is on “the edge of war” with Russia over Ukraine.
In May, Kissinger drew public condemnation after saying that Kyiv should negotiate with Moscow to come up with a peaceful end to the conflict — even if it meant ceding some territory to Russia. He said at the time that negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome.
Kissinger’s comments in May followed nonagenarian Noam Chomsky’s earlier statements about the dangers of a prolonged conflict in Ukraine. Chomsky, correctly, stated earlier this month that Ukrainian leadership’s cry for more heavy weapons is actually the Western “propaganda system.”
Kissinger said American politicians and diplomats have “a great trouble defining a direction.”
“It’s very responsive to the emotion of the moment,” he said. He told the paper that Americans resist separating the idea of diplomacy from that of “personal relationships with the adversary.”