Ukraine’s national news outlet Ukrinform features an extensive analysis of President Zelensky’s lack of success at the UN and in Washington. Addressing internal concerns that the trip fell short of success, various experts are cited to locate some pockets of limited success. One, political analyst Oleh Posternak. First, he says that the anti-corruption effort “is beginning to sound in the tone of bilateral relations with renewed vigor, and in a way, the meeting between Biden and Zelensky on a productive note was made possible by the President of Ukraine’s reasonable anti-corruption approach to rotating the leadership of the Defense Ministry… It is difficult to assess whether Zelensky has succeeded in dispelling the fears of American politicians about the futility of military aid to Ukraine and the fears of an endless war that will require the depletion of US domestic resources. This is the main challenge for Ukraine right now.”
Then Ukrinform adds: Posternak noted that “the visit could have also raised the issue of hypothetical negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on a more substantive level. The expert draws attention to the fact that on the eve of Biden’s meeting with Zelensky, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had contacts with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta, who then went to Moscow and held a series of meetings with Patrushev, Lavrov, and Putin. ‘Obviously, they discussed options for a peaceful way out of the conflict. It’s hard to say whether Zelensky had this meeting in mind when he spoke from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly about attempts to conclude shadow deals behind the scenes…’.”
Posternak is referring to the 12 hours of discussion (on Sept. 16-17) between Sullivan and Wang Yi. A Chinese statement said Wang emphasized that Taiwan is the most important red line for China in its relationship with the U.S. and that the U.S. must honor its commitment not to support Taiwan independence. It said the two sides conducted candid, substantive, and constructive talks on stabilizing and improving China-U.S. relations. The White House said Sullivan and Wang discussed the relationship between the two countries, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the Taiwan Strait. The statement read: “The United States noted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in the coming months.”
