Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Tuesday said Russia must be given the opportunity to one day rejoin the international system following any peace deal in Ukraine and dialogue with the country must be ongoing. The Associated Press has the story:
Kissinger: Russia’s war validates Ukraine’s NATO bid
Newslooks- DAVOS, Switzerland (AP)
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has repeated similar comments from last year that Ukraine should consider territorial concessions as a way to end Russia’s invasion, a suggestion that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized.
Kissinger spoke by video link Tuesday at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, saying various lines will need to be drawn to prevent the war from escalating. The 99-year-old again proposed that a “cease-fire along the lines of invasion is a reasonable outcome of the military actions and not necessarily the outcome of a later peace negotiation.”
He said the U.S. should support Ukraine and intensify military aid until a cease-fire line is either reached or accepted in discussions. He says this also would give Russia an opportunity to rejoin the international system and reassess its reliance on military force.
Kissinger notes that the destruction of Russia as state would open up the nuclear-armed territory to internal conflict and outside intervention.
He expressed admiration for Zelenskyy and the heroism of the Ukrainian people. Kissinger said that while he previously opposed Ukraine’s membership in NATO because he feared a conflict with Russia, he now believes “Ukrainian membership in NATO too would be an appropriate outcome” of the cease-fire process he describes.
Ukrainian leaders reject land concessions. Last year’s comments from Kissinger drew a retort from Zelenskyy that it was tantamount to European powers in 1938 letting Nazi Germany claim parts of Czechoslovakia to curb Adolf Hitler’s aggression.
