NEW YORK, December 20. /TASS/. Ukraine will be forced to make territorial concessions to settle the conflict with Russia regardless of the assistance it will receive from the administration of incumbent US President Joe Biden in the last weeks of his stay in the top government post, Bloomberg reported, citing officials.
According to the news agency, Kiev expects a "bitter settlement," which implies giving up territorial claims and NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees. The officials added that the terms for ending the conflict would be the result of decisions that Biden "took, or failed to take, over the past two years." At the same time, according to the sources, the paradox of the situation is that its outcome for the Ukrainian authorities will be the same regardless of whether a settlement agreement is reached under the current or future US administration.
In addition, European officials said, Ukraine's allies are convinced that the current Washington administration never actually had a plan to help Kiev in its armed confrontation with Moscow. They noted that Washington's current efforts to increase military aid and tighten anti-Russian sanctions are, in their view, insufficient.
Representatives of the US authorities have previously repeatedly emphasized that the Biden administration intends to continue providing military assistance to Ukraine until the end of its term in office.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering questions during the combined Direct Line Q&A and year-end press conference, said that Moscow is ready to hold negotiations on Ukraine without preconditions, but taking into account the current situation and on the basis of previously reached agreements.