Foreign Policy’s Hirsh: Putin Is Unlikely To Come to the Table Until He Sees Who Wins the U.S. Election

EXCERPT:

HIRSH: "Well, there aren't any talks yet, nor are there any planned. Ukrainian position that of President Zelenskyy is, you know, we're not -- we're not talking right now. And the only conditions for negotiation there would be to start with complete Russian withdrawal, which, of course, is not going to happen. I think what's happening now is an attempt by the United States and Europe, to set up the Ukrainians in a much stronger defensive posture to make Russian advances much more unlikely as we get into what is probably going to be a spring offensive by Russia. I think there's a great fear that the Russians will bring in their very formidable air force in a way they haven't done so until now, as the Ukrainians run out of air defense munitions. So there's -- there's a very quiet push going on to strengthen their hand at any future negotiating table. Although there's, you know, pretty, I think, good consensus at this point on -- on the part of the United States and the Europeans that Putin is unlikely to come to the table until he sees who wins the -- the United States, you know, presidential election in November."