"We need an executor of American will": how the Pentagon promises to support Ukraine in the Black Sea and Donbass

The United States is ready to support Ukraine in ensuring its security in the Black Sea region and considers it very important for itself.

The head of the Pentagon Lloyd Austin said this at a briefing following talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran.

“We provide assistance in all regions on a regular basis, and this is our commitment to our partners.

And you can expect us to continue our support.

This region is very important to us and we will continue our support to our partners to ensure security in this region, ”Austin said.

According to him, during the talks with Taran, the US commitment to resist "Russia's destabilizing actions" was reaffirmed.

As Andrei Taran emphasized in turn, the Russian Federation allegedly creates in the Black Sea "a danger to shipping, economic activity and provokes new conflicts."

“We have a common interest and are determined to continue targeted consultations on this matter, as well as to join forces with our partners in the Black Sea region and NATO as a whole to maintain stability and security,” Taran said.

Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about the need to strengthen NATO's presence in the Black Sea.

In his opinion, programs of joint exercises and training should be expanded.

He also called on Moldova and Romania to join forces to ensure the security of the region.

And at the end of August, Zelensky announced his intentions to build a new navy by 2035.

• President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

• Reuters

• © Valentyn Ogirenko

In addition, as recalled by a RT source in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Washington and Kiev signed an agreement on the strategic foundations of a defense partnership.

“This is a framework document that deals with joint research work and the introduction of new technologies.

This is more of a political signal that the United States will help modernize the Ukrainian army.

However, of course, very little funds have been allocated for this so far, "said the interlocutor of RT.

Stumbling block

During the briefing, the head of the Pentagon also accused Russia of allegedly unleashing a conflict in southeastern Ukraine and that Moscow “violates” the country's territorial integrity.

"And Russia is the stone that hinders a peaceful settlement," Lloyd Austin said.

In this regard, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense expressed the hope that Washington will continue to support Kiev, restraining Russia "from further spreading aggression" with the help of diplomatic and military influence, as well as providing Ukraine with military-technical assistance.

• Defense Ministers of Ukraine and the United States Andrey Taran and Lloyd Austin in Kiev

• AP

• © Gleb Garanich

An RT source in the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers noted that Washington is reluctant to allocate funds to support the country's territorial integrity.

“They want to be sure that the money will not be stolen.

We are directly told that if we start a war with Russia, the United States will not send its troops here.

So they are for territorial integrity and, in general, for everything good, but only in words, "said the interlocutor of RT.

In addition, as experts note, the visit of the US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland to Moscow testifies to the completely opposite position of Washington regarding Donbass.

Thus, the diplomat, participating in the discussion of the settlement of the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine, reaffirmed Washington's position that the situation can be resolved only by fulfilling the Minsk agreements.

“During the negotiations, the position of the United States voiced in Geneva was confirmed that without agreeing on the future parameters of autonomy or, in other words, the special status of Donbass as part of Ukraine, significant progress in resolving the conflict is hardly possible,” said Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration, commenting on the results meeting with Nuland.

In September, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spoke about the importance of the Minsk Agreements for resolving the situation in Donbass.

"France, together with Germany, continue to make efforts within the framework of the Normandy format for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which are an agreed basis for a just and lasting settlement of the conflict in Donbass," a representative of the French Foreign Ministry quoted TASS as saying.

In addition, as experts point out, statements about Russia as a party to the conflict in southeastern Ukraine contradict the facts, since the Minsk agreements themselves do not mention that Moscow has anything to do with this.

At the same time, the document was approved by the UN Security Council and is the main instrument for resolving the situation in Donbass.

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov also spoke about Russia's non-involvement in the conflict in April this year: “The issue of Donbass between Kiev and Moscow cannot be resolved, since Russia is not a party to this conflict.

But in any case, we need to look for common ground. "

At the August talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed concern that the Ukrainian side at official talks to the press says one thing, but says another inside the country.

“In fact - I want to emphasize this, it is enough to look at the statements of the top officials of the state - they say that they are not going to fulfill the Minsk agreements,” Putin said.

In particular, Ukraine refuses to grant Donbass a special status and to amend the country's Constitution.

This position of the Ukrainian authorities, according to Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAS, suggests that they are trying by all means to justify their actions in the region and to maintain European and American sanctions against Russia. He also expressed the opinion that the responsibility for the lack of progress on the situation in Donbass lies no less with the Ukrainian partners from the EU, who in words support the Minsk agreements, but in fact connive at Kiev, allowing him to blame Moscow for everything and even supporting it. in that.

“Because if you don’t call Russia a party to the conflict, you will have to admit that it was created by the Kiev leadership, that it was they who started the war against civilians who opposed nationalism, that in 2014 there was a coup d'etat in the country, and it happened with the support of those the most Western players in the face of the EU and the US, "Olenchenko explained in a comment to RT.

Reason for irritation

On the whole, experts regard the current statements of the head of the Pentagon regarding Russia in two ways.

On the one hand, they say that attacks against Moscow should be taken only as an excuse to hurt it once again, and on the other, that there is no specifics behind the formidable promises to ensure the security of Ukraine.

“As a rule, the Americans almost do not fulfill many promises related to Ukraine.

Today they have declared their national interests in the Black Sea and almost in the Donbass, but in fact, almost anywhere in the world, they have their own "national interests."

At the same time, those politicians who give out promises do not always have time to fulfill them, going into retirement, for example.

Therefore, here we are talking more about the next round of escalation on the part of Ukraine, which believes all promises and makes rash decisions on their basis, "Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, explained in an interview with RT.

In turn, Volodymyr Olenchenko pointed out that Ukraine for the United States is only an instrument of pressure on Russia and a springboard for promoting its interests.

“The United States is not interested in Ukraine as such, with its own national characteristics.

They need her as an executor of Washington's will.

If we compare Austin's statements in Moldova and Georgia, then we will not find significant differences from the current ones.

The same loud statements in which the interests of the United States are put in the first place, ”Olenchenko said.

However, as Alexander Mikhailov noted, aiming at the Black Sea region, the United States should understand that too many players are concentrated there.

“Pay attention, the United States always talks about the threat in the Black Sea, but what kind of threat can there be if there are no American subjects there, and we are just defending our territories from the same Ukrainian provocations, for example,” the expert noted.

Vladimir Olenchenko agreed with his words, stressing that Russia had long ago developed immunity to verbal encroachments by both the United States and NATO on its possessions in the Black Sea.

“The Russian Federation has developed methods of how to behave in such cases.

They are mostly diplomatic.

After all, we always say that we are open to dialogue and reduce tension in relationships.

But at the same time, Russia is not toothless and the attempts of its western neighbors to increase military pressure on it are an incentive for the constant improvement of combat training and the study of the enemy, ”concluded Olenchenko.