Peskov Says Putin Wishes To Study Kissinger’s Peace Proposal

Dec. 17, 2022 (EIRNS)—Asked about Henry Kissinger’s call for an armistice and negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin was “eager to give the article a thorough reading,” but “hasn’t had a chance to do so yet, unfortunately.”

Earlier in the day, Kissinger’s call for an armistice before the conflict in Ukraine spins out of control, was published in The Spectator, under the headline “How To Avoid Another World War.” There he describes the current conflict as a “war in which two nuclear powers contest a conventionally armed country.”

Kissinger’s proposal, on its face, seems designed to woo Kiev. It includes Ukraine being linked to NATO in some non-member fashion, as he maintains neutrality for Ukraine is no longer possible. Russia has to withdraw to the lines prior to February 24. Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk would be subject to negotiation.

However, of some interest, Kissinger maintains that Central and Eastern Europe would need a new international structure, one which at some undefined point could include Russia. And Russia is not to be isolated or broken up, as it would only risk massive instabilities.

Otherwise, he usefully notes the failure to seize an opportunity for peace in relating an account of the August 1916 attempt by the warring parties to bring World War I to a close, by having the United States mediate. However, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson delayed action for months, in deference to his re-election bid. By November, the moment was gone, costing another two years of slaughter.