The much heralded meeting between US President Biden and Russia's Putin in Geneva has come and gone. After many years of Putin strutting around on the world stage with his threatening nuclear arsenal, Donald Trump, and Angela Merkel in his back-pocket, it has taken US President Biden to in no uncertain terms stand up to his blatant defiling of international law.
US President Biden has diplomatically thrown down the gauntlet to Putin, especially over Putin's tacit support for Russian cyber-criminals to attack the US, ostensibly purely for financial gain.
Following on from the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva, Sergiy Karazy and Margaryta Chornokondratenko report that,
"Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (right) said on Thursday
he welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden's tough messaging when he met President Vladimir Putin this week and said now was the time to make Russia withdraw from Ukraine.
....
"This summit demonstrated that America is back, and now it's time to make Russia pull back from Ukraine," Kuleba said in an interview, adding that Moscow has no power of veto over Ukraine's accession to NATO. (Reuters : 17 June 2021) (my emphasis)
" ... thanked the leaders of the G7 countries (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan) for supporting Ukraine's independence and sovereignty.
They called on Russia to act in accordance with its international obligations, to withdraw troops and weapons from the eastern border of Ukraine and on the Crimean peninsula.
"We remain firmly of the view that Russia is a party to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, not a mediator," the G7 leaders said in a communique. (UNIAN : 14 June 2021) (my emphasis)
As also reported by UNIAN,
"U.S. financial institutions have been prohibited to buy Russian bonds issued after June 14, 2021.
...
"The following activities by a U.S. financial institution are prohibited as of June 14, 2021, except to the extent provided by law or unless licensed or otherwise authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control:
- (1) participation in the primary market for ruble or non-ruble denominated bonds issued after June 14, 2021 by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation; and
- (2) lending ruble or non-ruble denominated funds to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation," it said in its directive." (UNIAN : 14 June 2021) (my emphasis)
"Ukraine will become a NATO member with the Membership Action Plan as an integral part of the process, leaders of the Alliance have confirmed at their summit.
...
... "We stand firm in our support for Ukraine’s right to decide its own future and foreign policy course free from outside interference. ...... Ukraine should make full use of all instruments available under the NUC to reach its objective of implementing NATO principles and standards," NATO leaders stress. UNIAN : 14 June 2021) (my emphasis)
As announced by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba,
"The date of the end of July is being discussed. The visit of the president of Ukraine to the United States. A full-fledged visit... This will be an official full-fledged visit, which envisages not only the meeting with President Biden, but also many other events," he said, adding that a large delegation will go from Kyiv to Washington, and it will have a broad agenda." (UNIAN : 12 June 2021) (my emphasis)
Zelensky now has the full support of the President of the US, (some?) G7 countries, and NATO, behind his political sails.
Now is NOT the time to try and bargain with Putin.
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