The United States and NATO will urge Ukraine to start peace talks with Russia after the return of the southern city of Kherson, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports, citing numerous sources in Brussels.

Italian journalists note that in the latest analyzes distributed by the NATO offices in Brussels, the battle for Kherson is considered strategic not only from a military point of view, but also politically and diplomatically.

According to sources cited by La Repubblica, it is the US that is giving its allies the opportunity to start real negotiations with Russia due to the defeat of the Russian army in one of the most important gateways to the Sea of ​​Azov. and Crimea would represent a disaster for Moscow.

That is why the message sent by the Biden administration to the Ukrainian government and NATO officials in Brussels is that negotiations with Vladimir Putin can begin after the fall of Kherson, so that Kyiv negotiates from a position of strength, not weakness.

It will be recalled that on Sunday, The Washington Post journalists also wrote, citing several sources familiar with the discussions, that the Biden administration privately asked officials in Kyiv to be open to the idea of ​​peace talks, saying that the American public had begun to “get tired” of the war.

However, La Repubblica noted on Monday that Washington officials ruled out talks before the fall of Kherson, believing they would only give the Russian armed forces more time to reorganize.

Why does the USA want Ukraine to negotiate with Putin

Italian journalists note that currently the democratic administration of President Joe Biden emphasizes two fundamental issues in daily conversations with NATO allies.

The first concerns the threat of Moscow’s use of tactical nuclear weapons. While repeated threats to do so by President Vladimir Putin and other Moscow officials are seen as a form of deterrence rather than an immediate threat, U.S. officials believe the risk should be avoided.

Officials in Washington are worried not only about an almost inevitable response with conventional weapons from the alliance, but also about the unease such a Russian move would cause in the Baltic states and Poland, now the EU’s closest military partner. view of washington

Another important aspect concerns relations between Russia and China. With the loss of Kherson, Putin’s military crisis will deepen.

According to La Repubblica, the scenarios of a few months ago about a possible “regime change” in Moscow have now been replaced, and the United States is now worried that the total defeat of Putin will have more serious consequences: the transfer of control to Russia. to China

“Therefore, a hostile but wounded leader independent of Beijing is better,” the Italian daily said.

The situation in Ukraine will be influenced by the American elections

However, La Repubblica reminds that any dialogue projects between Kyiv and Moscow that Washington promotes will also depend on political factors, not just military ones.

The first will take place next week, after the “midterm” elections in the USA. If the Democrats lose their majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives (and a big win for candidates backed by former President Donald Trump), that could have unintended consequences.

The second political factor concerns a possible meeting for talks that Joe Biden and Putin could hold at the G20 summit in Bali, which is currently uncertain.

“However, the war is moving into another phase due to a kind of “parallel rapprochement” of the interests of the Kremlin and the White House. The negotiations, of course, will not lead to peace immediately, but perhaps to a ceasefire in Donbas, as well as to the extension of the agreement on the export of wheat from Ukraine,” the Italian newspaper concludes.

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