Henry Kissinger said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 17 that Ukraine's neutrality "no longer has any meaning" in this situation. He supports Ukraine's entry into NATO, but continues to emphasize dialogue with Russia.
Kissinger, now 99 years old, was US Secretary of State (1973 1977) and US national security adviser (1969-1975).
According to RT, at the WEF conference in Davos in May 2022, he supported an emergency end to hostile actions in Ukraine, fearing that Russia would be "pushed into a long-term alliance with China". However, for suggesting that Moscow could keep Crimea - the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014 - he was added to the list of "Peace-making people" among Ukraine's enemy.
On January 17, Kissinger opened his speech with "admiration" for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and "the heroic act of the Ukrainian people", before proposing a basic peace deal similar to last year.
Former foreign minister Kissinger said: Before this war, I was against Ukraine becoming a member of NATO, because I was afraid it would start the process we have seen. Now that the situation has reached this level, the idea of a neutral Ukraine is no longer meaningful."
Kissinger said that the way to prevent the conflict from escalating is to do exactly what Ukraine, the US and its allies have done so far: Requesting Russia to withdraw troops, and providing financial and military aid to Ukraine, maintaining sanctions and other pressures on Moscow.
The veteran diplomat argued that Russia should be "opened" to re- joining the West, "if it meets the conditions necessary to participate as a member of these European processes."
He said it was important to avoid the perception that the conflict had become against Russia. This could make Russia re-evaluate both the cultural appeal of Europe and the fear of European dominance in history.
Former Foreign Minister Kissinger also said that the US-led military alliance must be the one to ensure the ultimate peaceful solution in any form that NATO can develop.
While Kissinger's proposal supports the Western perception that Ukraine is winning on the battlefield with the help of NATO weapons, the former US Secretary of State has ignored the role of both Kiev and Moscow.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has flatly rejected any ceasefire unless Russia surrendered, while the Kremlin insists any agreement must recognize Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as part of Russia - while Crimea is not on the list.
It is also unclear whether Russia will accept any Western-intermediated talks, after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande admitted that the 2014 Minsk ceasefire was not resolved in a good-will manner, but for the purpose of " giving Ukraine time" to prepare for war.
