NYT named Blinken as the initiator of the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has insisted on the continuation of the conflict in Ukraine at the end of 2022. This was reported by The New York Times on January 18.

"At the end of 2022, Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that Ukraine <...> take part in peace talks with Moscow. However, Blinken insisted on the continuation of hostilities", - writes the edition.

The newspaper also noted that it was the Secretary of State who initiated the imposition of sanctions against Russia, in addition, organized the supply of weapons to Ukraine, involving about 50 different countries. Throughout the conflict, he opposed more risk-averse Pentagon officials in favor of sending military aid to Ukraine.

"Blinken was not so much a peacemaker as a military strategist," the newspaper emphasized.

Earlier, on January 17, Blinken said at a State Department briefing that the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump could negotiate peace in Ukraine if Kiev wanted it. According to him, the desire of the Ukrainian side to stop conflict actions is one of the main conditions for an agreement with Russia.

Before that, on January 14, The American Conservative magazine reported that the United States prevented the negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict in 2022 in Istanbul and stopped them to continue fighting. It is specified that this is confirmed by statements of high-ranking officials who were involved in the thwarted negotiations.

On January 4, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also said that Washington began sending arms to Kiev long before Russia launched the special operation. He noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) received, in particular, Stinger surface-to-air missile systems and Javelin anti-tank missile systems.

The last round of negotiations took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4 of the same year, the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the impossibility of holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin was put into effect.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which the Russian Federation announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.