It is possible that representatives of dozens of world governments will meet in New York next September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, to address the real quagmire in which the war between Russia and Ukraine ended after 18 months, and to try to chart the way to that. finish it. Talking publicly about a peace initiative – whether for Russia or for Ukraine and its allies – seems an insurmountable taboo in the absence of an official presence of those interested in negotiating, but it is known that the issue of peace exit strategy The issue of the conflict in Eastern Europe has been on the table of the world’s councils for months, including the White House, and this is precisely the meaning of the meeting that may be held in the United States in September. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell mentioned the behind-the-scenes diplomatic work for the meeting. Speaking at a summer conference in Santander, Spain, the European diplomacy chief said Monday that his officials are working hard to lay the groundwork for a “high-level gathering” of representatives of the world’s governments and institutions on the fate of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The idea is to elevate the already scheduled meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, from the level of political affairs directors in ministries to that of foreign ministers — which means the leap from “diplomatic bureaucracy” to politics, for short. The initiative will be an effective follow-up to the meeting held at the beginning of August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of representatives from 40 countries, including China. The annual UN General Assembly officially opens at UN Headquarters in New York on September 5, although the general debate and other major initiatives involving the world’s heads of state and government are scheduled for half a month later.
The delicate balance between support for Kyiv and diplomacy
By referring (quickly) to the initiative, Borrell was keen to present the efforts of Western diplomacy as aiming to push Russia into a corner, rather than opening real prospects for peace. For the former Spanish minister, Jeddah was “another step for Ukraine to get the international community to put pressure on Russia to stop the war.” Officially, there is only one solution for the EU to end the conflict, Borrell reiterated: “Russia has started (the war, Mr. DrRussia must end it. Only Russia can do it.” But the meaning of the initiative under construction for September is clear. On the other hand, it is no coincidence that just a week ago a senior NATO official “dropped” a progress that was on the lips of all diplomats, albeit far from Public spotlight Stefan Jensen, Chief of Staff of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said that Ukraine may get immediate membership in NATO if it agrees to sit at the negotiating table and cede part of its territory (which is already occupied by Moscow’s forces). ) to Russia Round table with Norwegian media Speaking at the annual conference “Quo vadis Europe” (which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also attended via video link), Borrell once again underlined European support for Ukraine, also from a military point of view, declaring that the Union The European Union could cover part of the costs of transporting the American F-16s to Kiev operated by the Netherlands and Denmark. It is also possible to use the European Peace Facility instrument in this case, if the governments give the green light to proceed. “Unfortunately – as Borrell noted regarding the fighters. – It will not be possible to use them very soon” because the West is guilty of “indecision” and Ukrainian pilots must first receive the necessary training. “The earlier they start, the better,” Burrell urged. But in fact, armaments can serve Ukraine in the post-war period, at least in the hot sense of the word, if the September summit in New York takes shape and gives a diplomatic turn to the conflict.
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