Day 267 Roundup: US General Doubles Down on Need for Negotiations; Biden at Odds with Zelenskyy
The Facts
After raising eyebrows last week by suggesting it was the right time for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, America's top general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, doubled down on his comments at a Pentagon press conference on Wednesday.
"You want to negotiate from a position of strength. Russia right now is on its back," Milley said. "Now Ukraine has had great success," he added. "But Kherson and Kharkiv are relatively small. So in terms of probability, the probability of a Ukrainian military victory, defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine, to include what they claim is Crimea... is not high, militarily."
The Spin
Narrative A
Almost everyone agrees a diplomatic solution is the only way to end this war. While Ukraine is in a position of strength and a slowdown of fighting is expected, this may be the optimal time for a negotiated settlement.
Narrative B
Driving Russia completely out of Ukraine is not only in Ukraine's interest, it's in the West's wider interests as it will prevent Putin's authoritarianism from spreading elsewhere. Now is the time to double down on support for Ukraine in pursuit of these aims.