The former US ambassador to NATO, Robert Hunter, in his interview with the "Beyond the News" program, underestimated the seriousness of the repercussions of US President Joe Biden's administration providing Ukraine with the Patriot system, and suggested that Washington's goal is to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to the option of negotiation to end the ongoing war. In Ukraine since last February, not to escalate with Moscow.
He added that the American step is symbolic through which Washington wants to confirm its seriousness in supporting Kyiv, justifying his position by the fact that the Patriot system needs months to be used and trained by the Ukrainian army.
Washington announced a new aid package for Kiev, through what is known as the Presidential Withdrawal Authority, which included the Patriot missile system.
The US and Ukrainian presidents pledged to enable Kyiv to win the war, and accused Moscow of not being ready for peace.
The US ambassador believes that Washington and its allies would like to see negotiations move forward to end Russia's war on Ukraine, and that Volodymyr Zelensky favors this if his country can obtain its sovereignty, while giving the right to self-determination to the Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.
And if the Ukrainian president insists on negotiating seriously, the foreign powers will not object.
It is likely that the current field escalation in Ukraine from both sides comes as a matter of preparing for negotiations that may take place in the future.
Russia says, through Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, that the US and Ukrainian presidents refuse to listen to Russian concerns, and that they did not offer a real peace call, he said.
Russia fears
Regarding Russian concerns, Alexander Gornov, a professor at the Moscow University of International Relations, said that they are related to modern and magical weapons that Western countries promise Ukraine and say will change the course of the war, stressing that such weapons will increase the possibility of expanding the circle of war and turning it into a long-term conflict in Europe. A nuclear conflict may happen by chance, and this is what Moscow fears," the spokesman said.
And while he emphasized that the Russian president had repeatedly declared that his country was ready, after achieving its goals in Ukraine by peaceful means, to return to negotiations, the Russian guest, on the other hand, accused Zelensky of sticking to the war option, as evidenced by the fact that he did not talk about a peaceful solution and negotiations during his visit to the United States, a visit that he said was symbolic. , as a symbol of the Patriot system, which Washington announced to supply Ukraine.
US President Biden had said during Zelensky's meeting that the Russian president had no intention of stopping the war.
On the other hand, Zelensky indicated that his country is fighting for victory, as he described it.
It is noteworthy that Biden announced a new aid package for Kiev, worth one billion and 850 million dollars, which included the Patriot missile system.
It should be noted that this aid will not need congressional approval, as it will be sent through what is known as the Presidential Withdrawal Authority, which allows the White House to quickly transfer defense materials and services from stocks, in response to an emergency.