U.S. stance on Sumy attack stirs global diplomatic concerns
The United States will not sign the statement by the so-called G7 group condemning the Russian attack on Sumy, which killed 35 people. The reason? "The desire to maintain negotiations with Russia." The refusal to sign the document is another example of Washington's change in course.
- With such decisions, international law will soon cease to apply. It is already functioning very poorly. The consequences of what the United States is doing are very serious. This is changing the global narrative – says Maciej Milczanowski, PhD, professor at the University of Rzeszów, deputy director of the Institute of Political Science UR, to Wirtualna Polska.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg, citing sources privy to diplomatic correspondence, revealed: Trump administration representatives informed allies that the U.S. would not sign the statement condemning the attack because they are "working to maintain the space for negotiating peace."
The G7 statement said, among other things, that the attack on Sumy was evidence that Russia is determined to continue the war.
On Wednesday, CNN confirmed the information in Canadian diplomatic sources. As the station notes, the refusal to sign the statement by the United States is another example of a change in course. At the end of February, the U.S., along with Russia, voted against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the war in Ukraine.
After ballistic missile strikes in downtown Sumy, which killed 35 people and injured 117, Donald Trump announced that he would not impose sanctions on Russia. In commenting on the attack, he stated that he was told that Russia "made a mistake." When asked to clarify what he meant, he did not specify exactly what he was referring to. At the same time, contrary to the facts, he blamed Ukraine and his predecessor Joe Biden for the outbreak of the war and even claimed that Ukraine started it, even though it is a victim of Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, Russia admitted to the attack on Monday, falsely claiming it targeted a gathering of Ukrainian commanders.
As Maciej Milczanowski notes, for "mature people" like Putin and Trump, talking about the fact that innocent people died as a result of shelling in the war should not be a problem and should not in any way affect negotiations to end the war.
- And constantly convincing us that nothing bad can be said about Russia because Moscow will break off negotiations is utter nonsense. Putin knew perfectly well that the Russians would strike the civilian population. He knows exactly what crime of genocide he is committing. And Trump tries to convince us that Russia should not be criticized. This is nonsense – says the deputy director of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Rzeszów to Wirtualna Polska.
And as he adds, Trump is more interested in improving Putin's image.
- He wants to build a new politics in the world where both Russia and the U.S. can act against international law. With such decisions from Washington, international law will soon cease to apply. It is already functioning very poorly. The consequences of what the United States is doing are very serious. This is changing the global narrative – believes Maciej Milczanowski.
"It's a serious matter"
The interlocutor of Wirtualna Polska points out that as a consequence of such actions, American society will be indifferent to events like the bloody attack on Sumy.
- Shelling of civilians in the street? Hundreds of dead and wounded? Trump's supporters are probably already commenting on it: "let's be realistic, this is what happens in war, that's how Putin is, and that's how the world looks already." For them, soon it will be normal. Trump conveys it exactly like that – comments Milczanowski.
And as he emphasizes, there should be no agreement to this.
- There are principles and values that the democratic world adheres to. And the American president denies them. It's a serious matter. Changing the rhetoric allows for changing the principles of international politics. Aggression and power of superpowers are supposed to be key arguments – the expert assesses.
Milczanowski warns that "such a stance from the U.S. encourages Putin to more aggressive and bolder Russian attacks on civilian targets".
- The Kremlin also uses "pseudo-negotiations" to strike Ukraine with greater force and compromise American efforts. These are not even peace talks, but talks about a new world order. And the Ukrainian issue is merely a subject of agreements between Russia and the U.S. And it is supposed to be a form of payment. Both Moscow and Washington want to extract as much as possible from Ukraine. Putin demands the annexation of the most industrially valuable regions and political influence over the authorities in Kyiv, while Trump demands resources. It's a black scenario for Ukraine – the interlocutor of Wirtualna Polska summarizes.
