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US President Joe Biden in January instructed CIA chief William Burns to assess the extent to which Russia and Ukraine are ready for peace talks, RBC reports citing the German publication Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), which wrote about this according to two German politicians.
According to the interlocutors of the publication, the subsequent reaction of Moscow and Kyiv influenced the decision of Western countries to approve the supply of tanks to Ukraine.
According to the publication, the proposal that Burns voiced to Kyiv provided for “peace in exchange for land”, and for Moscow – “land in exchange for peace.” The interlocutors said that by “land” they meant about 20% of the territory of Ukraine, which is approximately comparable to the area of Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics became part of Russia in the fall of 2022 following referendums, the results of which are not recognized by Ukraine and Western countries). Both sides refused to negotiate on such terms.
According to NZZ sources, after Burns’ “failure of the diplomatic mission”, US President Joe Biden decided to give in to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and approve the transfer of American Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This, in turn, allowed Berlin to allow the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv – its own and in service in other European countries. The German authorities had previously stated for a long time that Berlin would not send such weapons alone.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
