US said to prod Kyiv to open talks with Moscow

WASHINGTON — The United States is privately encouraging Ukraine to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia, Reuters quoted The Washington Post as saying on Saturday.

The paper quoted unnamed people familiar with the discussions as saying that the request by US officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table but was an attempt to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of other countries facing constituencies wary of fueling a conflict for many years to come.

It said the discussions illustrated the complexity of US President Joe Biden's administration's position on Ukraine, as US officials publicly vow to support the country with massive sums of aid "for as long as it takes" while hoping for a resolution to the conflict that has taken a big toll on the world economy.

The paper said US officials shared the assessment of their Ukrainian counterparts and acknowledged that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to hold talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin had generated concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the conflict's effects on costs of food and fuel are felt most sharply.

"Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," the Post quoted one unnamed US official as saying.

Zelensky signed a decree on Oct 4 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin "impossible" but leaving the door open to talks with Russia.

The White House National Security Council had no immediate comment on the accuracy of the report.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a visit to Kyiv on Friday that Washington's support for Ukraine would remain "unwavering and unflinching" after Tuesday's midterm congressional elections.

The US announced $400 million worth of additional security assistance for Ukraine, including refurbishing T-72 tanks from the Czech Republic and missiles for HAWK air defenses that could be used against Russian drones and cruise missiles.

The new assistance brought the amount of US military aid sent to Kyiv to more than $18.2 billion since the conflict began.

Meanwhile, external power has been restored to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant two days after it was disconnected from the power grid, the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said on Saturday.

Agencies via Xinhua