By Man Faulconbridge and Darya Korsunskaya
MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s suggestion of a ceasefire in Ukraine to freeze the struggle was rejected by the USA after contacts between intermediaries, three Russian sources with data of the discussions advised Reuters.
The failure of Putin’s method ushers in a 3rd 12 months of the deadliest battle in Europe since World Struggle Two and illustrates simply how far aside the world’s two largest nuclear powers stay.
A U.S. supply denied there had been any official contact and stated Washington wouldn’t have interaction in talks that didn’t contain Ukraine.
Putin despatched indicators to Washington in 2023 in public and privately via intermediaries, together with via Moscow’s Arab companions within the Center East and others, that he was prepared to contemplate a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Russian sources stated.
Putin was proposing to freeze the battle on the present traces and was unwilling to cede any of the Ukrainian territory managed by Russia, however the sign supplied what some within the Kremlin noticed as one of the best path in direction of a peace of some variety.
“The contacts with the Individuals got here to nothing,” a senior Russian supply with data of the discussions in late 2023 and early 2024 advised Reuters on situation of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the state of affairs.
A second Russian supply with data of the contacts advised Reuters that the Individuals advised Moscow, by way of the intermediaries, they’d not talk about a attainable ceasefire with out the participation of Ukraine and so the contacts resulted in failure.
A 3rd supply with data of the discussions stated: “All the pieces fell aside with the Individuals.” The supply stated that the Individuals didn’t need to strain Ukraine.
The extent of the contacts – and their failure – has not beforehand been reported.
It comes as U.S. President Joe Biden has for months been pushing Congress to approve extra support for Ukraine, however has confronted opposition from allies of Republican presidential nomination frontrunner Donald Trump.
The Kremlin, the White Home, the U.S. State Division and the Central Intelligence Company (CIA) all declined to remark.
U.S. SAYS ‘NO BACK CHANNEL’
Putin despatched hundreds of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, triggering a full-scale struggle after eight years of battle in japanese Ukraine between Ukrainian forces on the one aspect and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies on the opposite.
Ukraine says it’s combating for its existence and the West casts Putin’s invasion as an imperial-style land seize that challenges the post-Chilly Struggle worldwide order.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he won’t ever settle for Russia’s management over Ukrainian land. He has outlawed any contacts with Russia.
A U.S. official, talking in Washington on situation of anonymity, stated that the U.S. has not engaged in any again channel discussions with Russia and that Washington had been constant in not going behind the again of Ukraine.
The U.S. official stated that there appeared to have been unofficial “Observe II” conversations amongst Russians not within the authorities however that the USA was not engaged in them.
The U.S. official stated Putin’s proposal, primarily based on what has been publicly reported, was unchanged from previous calls for that Russia maintain on to Ukrainian territory. The official urged that there gave the impression to be frustration in Moscow that Washington had repeatedly refused to just accept it.
Putin advised U.S. talk-show host Tucker Carlson final week that Russia was prepared for “dialogue”.
CONTACTS
Intermediaries met in Turkey in late 2023, in line with three Russian sources.
A fourth diplomatic supply stated that there had been Russian-U.S. unofficial contacts via intermediaries at Russia’s initiative however that they appeared to have come to nothing.
The U.S. official stated he was unaware of unofficial contact via intermediaries.
In keeping with three Russian sources, Putin’s sign was relayed to Washington, the place high U.S. officers together with White Home Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan, Central Intelligence Company Director Invoice Burns and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met.
The concept was that Sullivan would communicate to Putin’s overseas coverage adviser, Yuri Ushakov, and set out the following steps, one of many Russian sources stated.
However when the decision got here in January, Sullivan advised Ushakov that Washington was prepared to speak about different points of the connection however wouldn’t talk about a ceasefire with out Ukraine, stated one of many Russian sources.
The U.S. official refused to be drawn on any particulars of Sullivan’s purported calls, or whether or not such a dialog with Ushakov passed off.
PUTIN ‘READY TO FIGHT ON’
One of many Russian sources expressed frustration with the USA over Washington’s insistence that it might not nudge Ukraine in direction of talks on condition that the USA was serving to to fund the struggle.
“Putin stated: ‘I knew they would not do something’,” one other of the Russian sources stated. “They reduce off the foundation of the contacts which had taken two months to create.”
One other Russian supply stated that the USA didn’t seem to imagine Putin was honest.
“The Individuals did not imagine Putin was real a few ceasefire – however he was and is – he is able to talk about a ceasefire. However equally Putin can also be able to battle on for so long as it takes – and Russia can battle for so long as it takes,” the Russian supply stated.
The Kremlin sees little level in additional contacts with the USA on the difficulty, the Russian sources stated, so the struggle would proceed.
(Writing by Man Faulconbridge in Moscow; Extra reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; Enhancing by Alex Richardson)
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