Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters)
In a shocking statement, a top U.S. State Department official said that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably won’t start peace talks with Ukraine until after the November 2024 U.S. election. This comes at a time when emotions are high in the area. These comments, made on Tuesday after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, show that people are still worried about how a possible victory for former President Donald Trump might affect Western support for Kyiv. Trump has always been against U.S. backing for Ukraine. He is running for re-election in 2024 and is currently the front-runner for the Republican presidential ticket. The top official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the alliance strongly supports Ukraine but knows that a peace deal will not happen in the next year. Within the international community, most people agree with the official that Putin will put off serious peace talks until after the U.S. election. Even though the officials didn’t name Trump by name, they made a vague reference to the link between Putin’s possible actions and the result of the election. The ongoing conflict and its international effects are still at the center of talks around the world. Since Russia’s full-scale attack in February 2022, President Joe Biden’s administration has given Kyiv a lot of military aid and support. But getting more money for Ukraine is hard because the House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, recently asked Trump to come to Ukraine and see for himself how bad the conflict is. He did this to emphasize Trump’s claim that he could end the war in 24 hours if he was re-elected. The changing forces in the area are still at the center of international negotiations and strategy planning.
