Washington is trying to strengthen European support for the Ukraine strategy.
American officials are increasingly concerned that their allies supported Washington's approach to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine as economic pressure on Europe grows, writes Politico.
US officials in Europe are warning their counterparts in Washington that the population of some European countries is increasingly dissatisfied with the sanctions and blames the US for rising costs. These sentiments could put pressure on European leaders to abandon their support for sanctions. This was stated by US officials in internal reports recently distributed in the administration of US President Joe Biden, which the publication has seen.
Those concerns have sparked a flurry of talks among senior US officials in the administration about how to keep European leaders in line with American strategy, two senior US officials said.
Washington believes that a consistent and unified information-sharing campaign with Europe is critical to success in Ukraine, and that any weakening of Kyiv's support could give Russia leverage both on and off the battlefield. .
Growing economic anxiety has led to protests in some European cities over rising inflation and high energy prices as the cold season approaches, putting more pressure on governments to focus on domestic issues as opposed to supporting Ukraine.
“The only thing that worries me is the split between the United States and Europe, because the United States looks better on the energy issue because we are a big producer. We should have worked on this transition earlier,” said Fiona Hill, former representative for Russia at the US National Security Council.
One US official said on condition of anonymity that “things are holding steady at the moment”, but added that it was a “fragile situation”. The US State Department declined to comment.
The Kremlin's decision to cut off energy supplies due to sanctions has forced many European capitals to shift their focus from supporting the Ukrainian military to fighting the energy crisis, analyst Max Bergmann said.
According to him, the EU countries are really trying to cope with the energy crisis and are looking for solutions to help the population survive the winter.
Some officials, however, are confident that the support from Europe and other allies will be long-lasting.
“When it comes to government decisions, I see unwavering support for Ukraine,” said a NATO representative.
< p>Warnings about maintaining European support are heightened by concerns among US officials about a nuclear threat from Russia.
US officials believe Russia can rely on its nuclear forces as the country's forces continue to lose ground in Ukraine, according to US intelligence reports. However, US intelligence has not warned of an imminent nuclear threat.
While some officials are actively concerned about the threat, other officials in the Biden administration downplay it, saying that Russia wants to avoid confrontation and that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is using nuclear weapons. threats as a negotiating tactic to pressure Ukraine to force Kyiv to make concessions on the battlefield.
“This is nuclear blackmail from Putin. Putin is thinking about how he can do this. Therefore, we must act in such a way as to make it impossible, or make it very clear that it will not have the desired effect. So we have to be very serious about diplomacy. We have to discuss this with the other nuclear powers to say, 'This is unacceptable,'” Hill said.
In response to nuclear threats, U.S. national security officials and diplomats are stepping up communication with allied counterparts to clarify Washington's strategy for Ukraine and bolster European support over the winter.
During recent meetings with European high-ranking officials in Brussels, London and Berlin, US representatives promoted the thesis that sanctions are stifling the Russian economy.
Meanwhile, Pentagon officials are building support from NATO allies for continued military aid to Ukraine. During a closed meeting with NATO leaders in Brussels in October, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the need to continue supporting Ukraine by transferring more weapons. Austin acknowledged Ukraine's desire to join NATO, but said he doesn't see any decisions on that in the near future. Other representatives of the alliance, including from Poland and Greece, said they support Ukraine's bid to join.
American officials hope that their recent talks with allies will ease tensions with other European countries.
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Officials in the Biden administration have been in contact with their Russian counterparts for several weeks, both directly and through intermediaries, sources told the newspaper, declining to comment on the content of those talks. One of the officials called these contacts “normal and routine”. Another said the two sides discussed “a number of issues.”
The Biden administration told lawmakers that senior diplomats and national security officials are actively engaged in talks with Russia on a variety of issues.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson declined to comment on the specifics of U.S. communications with Russia, but said the administration has the ability to speak directly at the highest level with the Russian government when necessary.
“This has been going on for the past few months. The only purpose of this is to discuss the reduction of risks in the relations between the USA and the Russian Federation. It has nothing to do with diplomacy or anything else regarding Ukraine,” she said.
A NATO representative speaking to reporters this week said that Russia's nuclear rhetoric has decreased in recent days and NATO is not currently sees no preparations in practical terms on the Russian side regarding the nuclear arsenal.
Hill believes that any talks about the nuclear threat from Russia “cannot be conducted on a bilateral level between the United States and the Russian Federation.”
“He is not threatening us with nuclear weapons. He threatens Ukraine with nuclear weapons,” she said.
American officials said that any negotiations with Russia on a potential settlement of the situation must be coordinated and supported by Ukraine. In his address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said he was open to genuine peace talks with Russia, but his most pressing task now was to stop Russian aggression, including a flurry of attacks on critical infrastructure.
US State Department spokesman Sun. Price said that the US and Russia intend to resume formal negotiations on nuclear inspections under the terms of the new Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty.
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A source familiar with the plans for the US talks with the Russians said Washington's approach would remain narrowly focused on the new Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty, as officials are wary of straying from the topic at such a tense time.
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