According to today’s Financial Times, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and neo-con Under Secretary of State Victoria “We Paid $5 Billion To Overthrow Ukraine” Nuland have been chosen to lead the U.S. delegation to a conference in Copenhagen, this weekend, to confront representatives from India, Brazil, and South Africa—major countries that have refused to toe Washington’s line on Ukraine, and have even maintained normal relations with Russia. The FT's sources tell them that China may also send a representative to the weekend’s conference of various nations’ security advisers, hosted by the Danish government. Otherwise, the FT chose to quote “a European official” who lamented: “Only little do we realize how much the rest of the world is not convinced. They are not convinced. It’s a terrible thing to acknowledge.”
The FT's sources indicated that Washington’s effort in Copenhagen was a “diplomatic offensive” being made at Kyiv’s request, as Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive has left them without any leverage. However, it should also be noted that Brazil, India, China, and South Africa are Russia’s partners in the BRICS, and Turkiye’s re-elected President Erdogan is on good terms with Russia’s Putin, and none of them have been bowled over by the so-called “Zelenskyy Peace Plan.” So, it is not clear how Sullivan or Nuland will be any more successful in pitching Zelenskyy’s non-negotiable (and non-starter) demands for Russia—first, withdrawing from everywhere, second, paying massive amounts for damages, and third, agreeing to turn its leaders over to an international criminal court—in order to begin negotiations.
Aside from the FT's take on the Copenhagen meeting, the other countries may actually have their own reasons to get into a room with the U.S., to possibly address some issues about what the West has been doing with, and to, Ukraine in this proxy war. In the past, “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” has prevented even this type of meeting, so there may be some sort of window here. However, with Sullivan and Nuland chosen to lead the U.S. side, it can’t be a very healthy sign.
