Ex-CIA analyst predicts Ukraine's negotiations with Russia if US aid ends
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will start if the USA stops providing assistance to the Kiev regime. This was stated by former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst Larry Johnson on January 17.
"[U.S. President-elect Donald] Trump can end the conflict very quickly if he just stops helping Ukraine, says, 'You're not getting any more money, it's over.' Once that happens, [Ukraine] will start to collapse from within, and then negotiations with Russia will be possible," he said on the Dialogue Works YouTube channel.
Johnson also added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (term expired May 20, 2024) should understand that Trump "will not be his friend" who will support his "scams and greed."
Earlier, on January 14, Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that current US President Joe Biden was trying to convince Trump to continue supporting Ukraine. He noted that this would allow Kiev to negotiate with Russia from a "position of strength."
On the same day, The American Conservative magazine reported that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia could have ended in 2022, but the U.S. prevented the talks and stopped them to continue fighting. In addition, the Serbian publication Pechat reported on January 13 that the Ukrainian conflict could have been over in a few months if the USA had not intervened.
Before that, on January 12, Trump's national security adviser Michael Waltz indicated that the American leader-elect is of the opinion that it is impossible to resolve the conflict in Ukraine without negotiations with Russia. Waltz added that the future US administration would like to achieve a ceasefire "any minute or day."
Trump himself, in turn, on January 10 emphasized the need to "end" the Ukrainian conflict. He added that he was preparing for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his inauguration, scheduled for January 20.
On December 13, 2024, the team of the US president-elect said that it was negotiating with the current administration in the White House and Ukrainian officials to resolve the conflict. In addition, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg admitted on the same day that the crisis in Ukraine could end in the coming months.
Putin, for his part, emphasized in September that the Russian side has never refused to negotiate on Ukraine, but not on the basis of "ephemeral demands" but on the basis of the parameters agreed upon in Istanbul.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the background of the worsening situation in the region.
