‘Maidan midwife’ confirms Washington’s role in conflict at Kiev security forum
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told an audience in Kiev on Thursday that Washington had been helping plan Ukraine’s “counteroffensive” against Russia for nearly six months.
“Even if you’re planning a counteroffensive, we’ve been working with you for about 4-5 months, we’ve started working with [the] Ukrainian government and friends in Kiev — both civilian and military — about Ukraine’s long-term future,” Nuland spoke at the Kiev Security Forum via video link from the State Department.
She added that the attack would be “probably started and moved at the same time” Events such as the NATO summit scheduled for July 11 in Lithuania.
According to Newland, the United States also plans to have Ukraine’s future military power deter Russia, so “No matter where or how this ends – one year, six years, 16 years – we’re not going to do it again.” She also paints a rosy picture of a future in which Ukraine will become “The Engine of European Renewal” and “Setting an Example of Democracy for the World”.
The forum was organized by the Open Ukraine Foundation, founded by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who moderated a panel discussion in which Nuland spoke.Another panel was co-hosted by the Atlantic Council, whose officials controversial That “Transatlantic solidarity and strong support can help Ukraine defeat Russia and rebuild European security.”
The Kiev government has been heralding an important “Counterattack” several months. President Vladimir Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have argued that they do not have enough weapons, ammunition and equipment and need more from the West. As of Thursday, two of Zelensky’s advisers had issued public statements suggesting the offensive had not yet begun, while a third insisted it had begun along the 1,500-kilometer front.
Newland traveled to Kiev in December 2013 to support the Maidan protests, handing out pastries to crowds demanding a deal with the EU. In a February 2014 phone call, she discussed the composition of the future Ukrainian government with Jeffrey Pyatt, the US ambassador to Kiev. Three weeks later, nationalists would violently seize power from President Viktor Yanukovych, setting off events that led to Crimea rejoining Russia and the Donbass conflict.
Newland returned to the State Department in 2021 to once again be in charge of Ukraine policy as part of Joe Biden’s administration. Speaking at a Carnegie Foundation event in February, she said the conquest of Crimea and regime change in Moscow would be desirable outcomes of the current conflict. Her sister-in-law, Kimberly Kagan, runs the Institute for War Studies (ISW), a Washington advocacy group that is often cited by Western media for reporting on the situation on the front lines in Ukraine.
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