"Putin is provoked not by NATO but by Ukraine's independence", NYT says

Meanwhile, the US may start urging Ukraine to grant autonomy to the so-called DPR and LPR, AP believes.

"Who is Ukraine to NATO? An ally, a member or a partner?" The American newspaper The New York Times tries to find an answer to this question against the backdrop of considerable geopolitical tension caused by the buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine's borders.

Meanwhile, in its report, the Associated Press claims that the US may urge Ukraine to accept partial autonomy for Donbas and that the US State Department allegedly notified Kyiv that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO in the next decade. 

New York Times

According to the NYT, among the causes of the current situation is the 2008 decision to promise Ukraine full membership in the Alliance "without explaining when and how" this should happen, as well as Putin, who "does not perceive Ukraine as a separate country and considers it an 'inseparable' part of Russia".

The newspaper writes that he sees a potential expansion of NATO at Ukraine's expense as a threat to Russia's security.

Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to NATO, considers the uncertainty of the promise a "mortal sin" of the Alliance, which arose as a compromise after long negotiations in April 2008 between then US President George Bush, who advocated concrete and immediate provision of a roadmap for membership, and the leaders of Germany and France, who opposed this.

Ivo Daalder
former US ambassador to NATO 

Putin is provoked not by NATO but by Ukraine's independence. But by his actions he has reduced the likelihood that Ukraine will do what he wants.

According to Daalder, the question facing NATO at present is how to maintain trust in the Alliance. Despite its close ties to NATO, Ukraine is not a member of the Alliance, so he asks, "how do you guarantee its independence and sovereignty?"

Associated Press

Representatives of the administration of President Joe Biden admit that the US will press Ukraine to officially grant a certain autonomy to the occupied territories of the east, the Associated Press writes, citing sources.

Against the backdrop of Joe Biden having held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and planning to speak with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, the American news agency writes that the US president faces challenges related to Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO and the status of Donbas.

Representatives of the Biden administration admitted that the US will begin pressing Ukraine to officially transfer a certain autonomy to the seized areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (so-called DPR and LPR).

For Biden, the challenge will be to encourage Kyiv to "accept some facts in eastern Ukraine without appearing susceptible to Putin".

According to former US ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, Ukraine may be asked, "can you make some step forward in these areas?" and this may include allowing the Russian-controlled part of Donbas to control its own healthcare, police and schools.

"But I do not see Washington pushing Ukrainians toward steps that would jeopardize their sovereignty or the ability of the national government to make decisions," Pifer said.

A person familiar with private negotiations between Ukraine and the US said that Kyiv is ready to take part in negotiations on defining a "special status", including possible changes regarding the cultural and linguistic characteristics of Donbas, but will reject any constitutional changes that give the region veto power over national policy.

For its part, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine , stated that fighting in Donbas continues, so the issue now is not what is written in legislation.

Podolyak stated that legislation could, for example, stipulate that there is no fighting in the so-called DPR and LPR and that everything is peaceful there, but the Russian side continues to invest in combat operations rather than in peaceful life, so "the problem is clearly not what is or is not written in Ukrainian legislation".

He noted that Russia has not ensured compliance even with the basic points of agreements on a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the normal functioning of checkpoints.

Mykhailo Podolyak
adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

How can one talk about politics when basic living conditions are not ensured, even though this has been promised repeatedly? That is why we draw attention to the real facts in Donbas – what is called on the ground.

Also, according to the publication, senior US State Department officials told Kyiv that NATO membership is allegedly unlikely to be approved for Ukraine in the next decade. 

According to the publication, Biden "will have to tone down" Ukraine's desire to join NATO, and this will allegedly be another challenge for him, alongside urging partial autonomy for the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine.