US: Ukraine Conflict to End Through Negotiations

During a press conference in Darwin on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his belief that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine will ultimately be resolved through negotiations.

Secretary Austin reiterated the United States' commitment to ensuring that Ukraine is in the best possible position to protect its interests, regardless of how the conflict is resolved in the future. "I have said before, and I believe that the Ukrainian conflict will ultimately be resolved through negotiations," Austin stated after meeting with his Australian and Japanese counterparts.

In a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on November 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia is open to negotiations based on proposals previously expressed by the Russian Foreign Ministry in June.

Putin's initiative at the time called for an immediate ceasefire and readiness to negotiate as soon as Ukrainian forces withdrew from all territories of what Russia declares as its new regions.

Putin's demands for Kiev included abandoning its aspirations to join NATO, voluntarily disarming, dismantling any organizational structures of Nazism in Ukraine, accepting a status of neutrality and non-alignment with any political-military bloc, and being free of nuclear weapons. He also called on Western countries to lift sanctions imposed on Russia.