Follow us on social

||

Diplomacy Watch: Blinken in Kyiv, Full speed ahead

But as one journalist noted, 'None of that is (in) the cards at the moment as the devastated and depopulated country is struggling to prevent a collapse on the frontline'

Reporting | QiOSK

Headlines out of Ukraine in recent weeks have been grim. Military officers on the front lines say that the situation in the country’s east is approaching “critical.” The country is facing a serious manpower and weapons shortage. The Russian offensive is reportedly accelerating. Privately, Biden administration officials are wondering whether — even with the latest tranche of U.S. aid secured — Ukraine will be able to win this war.

Listening to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech this week in Kyiv, however, none of this reality was apparent. The tone of Blinken’s speech was optimistic — he referred to the war as a “strategic failure” for Moscow and a “strategic success” for Kyiv. He maintained that Ukraine would win the war and eventually join NATO as a thriving democracy with an economy rebuilt from seized Russian assets.

“All of these measures – Ukraine’s increased integration with, and support from, NATO; a growing network of security agreements with individual countries; a booming defense industrial base – all of these will ensure that the moment conditions are met and Allies agree, Ukraine’s invitation and accession to the Alliance will be swift and smooth,” Blinken said. “These measures will also ensure that if Russia is ever serious about negotiating a truly just and lasting peace with Ukraine, your military prowess will be formidable, your hand strong, your path to Europe and NATO secure.”

As the journalist Leonid Ragozin noted on X, “None of that is on the cards at the moment as the devastated and depopulated country is struggling to prevent a collapse on the frontline.”

The rhetoric is indicative of an administration that has been unwilling to adapt its approach or messaging on the war regardless of changing dynamics. The administration has said that continuing to support Ukraine to improve its battlefield situation will provide Kyiv with a stronger hand at any future negotiations, but has made no indication that such talks are forthcoming and has avoided answering crucial questions about the war’s endgame.

Notably, the speech contained no specific reference to Ukraine’s territorial ambitions. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on leaked talking points from the secretary’s trip, which included as a trip objective “highlight[ing] U.S. support for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace” that includes respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity “within its internationally recognized borders,” which would include Crimea and the Donbas. Blinken’s speech did not mention either of those regions or include “internationally recognized borders.”

In other diplomatic news related to the war in Ukraine:

— During his visit, Blinken also indicated that Washington was open to Ukraine using U.S. weapons to hit targets inside Russia. "We've not enabled or encouraged strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately, Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war," he said. Until now, the Biden administration has reportedly told Ukraine not to strike inside Russia, which has been a point of tension between Washington and Kyiv.

— Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China this week. In advance of his trip, Putin expressed support for China’s peace plan. "We are positive in our assessment of China's approach to solving the Ukrainian crisis," Putin said, according to a translation of a Russian transcript on the Kremlin website. "In Beijing, they truly understand its root causes and its global geopolitical meaning." China has tried to portray itself as a peacemaker in the conflict, and has reportedly been urging Western countries to invite Moscow to upcoming peace summits.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to go to Spain and Portugal this week, but he canceled his plans on Wednesday. No official reason was provided, but media reports suggest that he decided to stay in Ukraine amid the Russian attacks in the country.

— British foreign secretary David Cameron pitched Donald Trump on pursuing a peace deal if he returns to White House in 2025, as part of an effort to convince the former pressident to support aid for Ukraine, according to The Sunday Times.

“Cameron’s message was simple: ‘What are the best conditions in which you as president can make a deal in January? It’s both sides holding their lines and paying a price for that.’ Trump is understood to have responded: ‘No one has set that out for me in these terms. And I’m glad we had the conversation,’” according to the Sunday Times. The suggestion of such a peace proposal would mark a significant shift in the UK’s approach to the war.

Since the report was published, officials have tried to squash speculation that the West was planning to force Kyiv to the negotiating table.

“There is just no sense at all in which Britain would try to persuade, strong-arm or otherwise, Ukraine into accepting giving up some of their territory. That's a decision entirely for Ukraine," defense secretary Grant Shapps told Times Radio on Tuesday.

U.S. State Department news:

In a Tuesday press briefing, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel reiterated the key talking points from Blinken’s speech.

“The Secretary is in Kyiv to reaffirm what President Biden has said, which is that we want Ukraine to win, and we’re committing – committed to helping Ukraine to do just that,” Patel said. “And with the support of the United States, our partners and allies, the Ukrainian people can and will achieve their vision for the future: a free, prosperous, and secure democracy, fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic community and fully in control of its own destiny.”


Diplomacy Watch: A peace summit without Russia
Diplomacy Watch: Putin ups the ante with nuclear threats
Reporting | QiOSK
Israel
Top image credit: Skorzewiak via shutterstock.com

Who are the 'influencers' Israel is paying $7k per post?

Washington Politics

On Tuesday, RS published a story about how Israel is paying a cohort of 14-18 social media influencers around $7,000 per post to promote the country’s image in the American public. The campaign, nicknamed “Esther Project,” is coordinated by a newly created firm working out of a Capitol Hill rowhouse called Bridges Partners, and is slated to run through November.

However, as of publication, it is unclear who the influencers themselves are. According to the contract, they were supposed to begin posting on behalf of Israel in July, yet have not registered as foreign agents. By not registering as foreign agents and disclosing their names, the influencers are likely in violation of the U.S.’s premier foreign lobbying law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. FARA experts say they must also mark their content on social media so that viewers know it is content sponsored by Israel.

keep readingShow less
Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt
Top photo credit: Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt, in Cairo, Egypt September 29, 2025. Abdulla Al Bedwawi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS

Egypt stepping out from Israel's shadow? It depends.

Middle East

Various forces, from tariffs to wars to the emerging multipolar world order, are potentially reshaping the Middle East and its alliances, and Egypt is playing a leading role. However, Egypt’s vision is bumping up against the reality that its dependence on Washington limits those shifting alliances and Egypt’s ability to play a leading role in them.

Time will tell how far Egypt can go.

keep readingShow less
Trump Putin
Top image credit: President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday, August 15, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Could bioweapons be center of gravity for US-Russia talks?

Latest

The deep freeze in U.S.-Russia relations shows occasional, promising cracks. It happened recently not on the primary issue of conflict — the war on Ukraine — but on a matter of mutual survival. During the United Nations General Assembly President Donald Trump announced an initiative to address one of arms control's most intractable problems: verifying compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

"To prevent potential disasters, I'm announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce the biological weapons convention by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust,” Trump said. He framed this as an urgent priority, claiming "many countries are continuing extremely risky research into bioweapons and man-made pathogens."

The proposal found immediate endorsement in Moscow. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered unusually direct support, calling the initiative "brilliant in itself" and declaring that "Moscow supports it." Crucially, Peskov proposed concrete next steps, suggesting the U.S. proposal should be negotiated and formally codified in international agreements.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.