A story of betrayal / Joe Biden's team continues to negotiate for Ukraine without Ukraine

2023-08-16 11:50:00, Blog Garry Kasparov

A story of betrayal / Joe Biden's team continues to negotiate for Ukraine

Eighteen months after Russia's complete invasion of their nation, the Ukrainian people continue to resist. The response of the free world in defense of Ukraine, led by NATO countries, has been strong, especially compared to the standoffish attitude that followed Putin's first invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

Eastern and Northern Europe, which understand the threat from Russia much better, lead in the aid they have given in relation to their GDP. But the military and economic aid that makes the difference has come from the United States.

However, the weapons that Ukraine needs to protect its people and drive out invaders are still being held hostage by their allies, led by the United States. Without any explanation, the Joe Biden administration has taken a negligent approach to the one thing that matters most: ending this war.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has made it clear that the war will only end with his defeat and the liberation of all Ukrainian territories by force of arms. And I have my doubts as to why the US has deliberately delayed that desirable end.

My fear is that the Biden administration dreams of negotiating an immoral land-for-peace deal with the war criminal Putin, instead of giving Ukraine all the weapons it needs to quickly win the war and save as many lives as possible.

I admit that my guess is based on circumstantial evidence, but also on the long history of Biden officials and their uneasy relationship with Putin and other dictatorships.

Last week marked the 15th anniversary of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Georgia, another war we must not forget. It was the warning that everyone ignored. And the Georgian territory is still occupied by the Russians. At that time, in August 2008, the free world reacted not only with indifference, but the Obama administration that took office in January 2009 rewarded the occupiers with the disastrous policy of "restoring" close relations with Russia.

And today we are suffering the consequences of that cowardly behavior. Meanwhile, the same politicians and generals not only refuse to stop Putin's war on the free world, but prevent Ukraine from fighting for its own land, while trying to secretly negotiate old deals with the Kremlin.

They limit the weapons that Ukraine can have at its disposal. Just this week, the Washington Post reported that after several months of delay, the training of the first 6 Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 fighter jets has begun, which will not be completed until the summer of next year! At first I couldn't believe the number I was reading. So NATO is training a total of 6 pilots.

Not 600. Not even 60, but only 6! Biden's advisers tried from the beginning to negotiate with Russia behind Ukraine's back. Then, when they couldn't reach a deal with Putin, Biden's team prepared to hand Ukraine over to the Kremlin.

Even today, as Ukrainians continue to fight - not only for their freedom, but for the protection of the entire global security order and the values ??of the free world - Biden has not yet distanced himself from the idea of ??negotiating with Putin at the expense of Ukraine.

Biden's top negotiators - CIA director Bill Burns, presidential envoy John Kerry and national security adviser Jack Sullivan - have served on the Obama administration's foreign policy staff. Each of those whom Biden sends to negotiate secretly with Russia has worked with him for years, shared his beliefs, and speaks for him.

This trio shares Biden's Cold War mindset on the great powers dictating the fates of the world, negotiating secret deals in dark rooms. When they "casually" meet Kremlin officials in quiet hotels in Ankara or Delhi, or talk on the phone in their "routine" contacts, they are actually negotiating behind Ukraine's back.

However, I must point out that not all of Biden's 'lieutenants' are involved in this shameful deal. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have consistently supported Ukraine, both publicly and privately, but among the foreign policy bureaucracy, the trio of Kerry, Burns and Sullivan appear to hold more authority than the two secretaries. Even the subordinates of Ostin and Blinken often seem more loyal to the trio of negotiators than to their bosses.

Bill Burns is Biden's 'Kisinger', playing great power politics with the Kremlin and his counterpart Sergei Narishkin, the head of Kremlin intelligence. During the Obama administration, Burns and Sullivan were secretly sent to negotiate the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran to curb its nuclear program.

When he withdrew from Afghanistan, Biden secretly sent Burns to negotiate with the Taliban. When he wanted to increase Saudi oil production, he again secretly sent Burns to strike a pact with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Meanwhile, John Kerry plays a similar role as negotiator behind the scenes. His work as a climate envoy is a convenient cover for connecting with his old diplomatic contacts. Kerry speaks frequently with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whom he knows very well from his tenure as Obama's Secretary of State.

Along with Jack Sullivan, this trio continues to put forward peace proposals for Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. This is also the team that continues to delay arms transfers to Ukraine, costing many innocent lives.

Every day that America is not fully committed to Ukraine's victory deepens Russia's genocide. Ukrainians are dying today because the Biden administration is refusing to act. It is time to make a choice: either Ukrainians enjoy the same right to freedom, life and liberty enjoyed by all people or not. We either fight hard or not for a world of rules and values.

Bill Burns, John Kerry and Jack Sullivan live in a world where big powers make the rules and small countries have to obey them. So does Putin. The rest of us don't have to live in that world. We can choose to be guided by morality, not by some cold political calculation that doesn't always turn out as intended.

Instead of analyzing Hunter Biden's sex tapes, Speaker McCarthy should do his job and put Burns, Kerr and Sullivan under oath. There can be no more secret talks with Putin and his criminal mafia waging war in Ukraine. Unmask Biden's secret negotiators, and hold them accountable to the American people, who overwhelmingly support Ukraine.

Taken with cuts

Note: Russian Garry Kasparov lives in the USA today. He is the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation. He was once a world chess champion for several years./ Adapted from CNA