Russia-Ukraine talks halted at Boris Johnson's order

The Office of the President of Ukraine announced that negotiations between Kiev and Moscow were halted as a result of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visit to Ukraine on April 9.

Boris Johnson arrived in Kiev to "express solidarity" and announce financial and military assistance to Ukraine "in its fight against Russian aggression."

"During the meeting with Zelensky, the British prime minister asked him not to continue the negotiations that were going on in Turkey, while insisting that Putin must be defeated,” the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper wrote.

Indeed, Zelensky's public position regarding the talks with Russia changed dramatically after Johnson's visit. Just a few days before the meeting with Johnson, the Ukrainian president announced that there was no alternative to negotiations with Russia and that they had to be continued.

It is possible, however, that Zelensky changed his approach to the issue of the talks with Moscow as a result of NATO's growing support in the form of arms shipments.

On May 6, Zelensky said that the talks with Russia would resume provided that:

• the Russian troops leave Ukraine completely;
• all the Ukrainians who were evacuated to Russia return to Ukraine.

NATO Proxy War in Europe

Several anti-war groups in the West, including in the UK, said that there was a "proxy war" going on in Europe.

On May 7, UK's Stop the War coalition held an International Day of Action for Peace in Ukraine, demanding an immediate resumption of the negotiations between the conflicting parties.

Campaign organizer Lindsey German said that the British "government is sending weapons and Joe Biden has promised another $33bn for military aid. This is leading to much greater threats of war which we are at the centre of resisting.”

According to her, the conflict in Ukraine is becoming a proxy war between Russia and NATO.

CODEPINK anti-war group in the United States questioned the Biden administration's funding of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the lack of peace initiatives, calling the war in Ukraine "a proxy war of NATO against Russia.”

The joint statement by the United States and its NATO allies following the G7 summit confirmed that the public activists were actually right. In the joint statement, the G7 said that they (the Group of Seven) would never let Russia win the war against Ukraine.

Ready to spend more on defense now and then

The statement made as a result of the G7 summit said that the international community had already allocated $24 billion to Ukraine.

The UK promised an additional $1.6 billion in new aid, bringing its total cost to more than $3 billion;

The US provided weapons to Ukraine worth $4 billion. The Biden administration is seeking additional $33 billion in aid to Ukraine from US Congress, of which $20 billion will go to armaments and military assistance.

It is worthy of note that China believes that instead of encouraging the warring parties to overcome difficulties and continue negotiations to achieve peaceful results, the US and its allies are fanning the flames of regional conflict while fishing in troubled waters, putting millions of lives at risk for the sake of their narrow interests.