ROME, November 7. /TASS/. The US and NATO think that launching peace talks on Ukraine would be possible if Kiev takes back Kherson with the battle for it having both strategic and diplomatic significance, La Repubblica wrote on Monday.
According to the paper, Washington is in constant contact with Brussels and its allies on this issue as well as instilling this idea into the mind of the Kiev regime.
The article notes that it was no accident that Washington and NATO confirmed sending a batch of anti-drone missiles to Kiev. The main point is that the return of Kherson, a strategic target from the point of view of gaining sea access and control over water resources may change the course of the conflict and when the city is taken it will be possible to hold negotiations from the position of force. According to the newspaper, this is the first time that the White House allowed for such a specific scenario.
According to the article, this is caused by two aspects. The first one is the alleged threat, however remote, of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons which would require a large-scale response. The second one is China’s expanded influence on Russia. According to the newspaper, a complete defeat of Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin whose regime change is no longer discussed as one of the options would lead to worse consequences for the US such as Russia falling under China’s full control.
That said, it is pointed out that in many ways the political process would depend on the results of US congressional midterm elections. Yet the conflict is entering a new phase due to the "parallel" nature of the Kremlin’s and Washington’s interests, La Repubblica noted. It says that this is confirmed by the US admitting it has been maintaining direct contact with Moscow over months in order to prevent the expansion of the conflict and nuclear escalation.