Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor on Sunday said “Ukraine has a gun to its head” as the U.S. tries to reach a diplomatic agreement with Russia amid increased fears of an invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by moderator Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if there is “anything reasonable” Russia and Ukraine can discuss, Taylor said “probably not,” but said there are still “reasonable discussions to be had” between Moscow and Washington.
“The Russians are after things that Ukraine can’t really deliver,” Taylor said, citing Moscow’s demands that NATO roll back its military deployments and deny Ukraine membership in the military alliance.
Asked by Todd if Ukraine is a “pawn” in the situation, Taylor said, “Ukraine has a gun to its head while the Russians are negotiating with the Americans and NATO and others.”
Taylor’s comments come after President Biden on Friday said he is “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “made the decision” to invade Ukraine. Biden emphasized, however, that a diplomatic path forward remains open if Putin decides to de-escalate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this weekend called for preemptive sanctions to be placed on Russia amid concerns of an invasion.
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday defended the administration’s decision not to place more pre-invasion sanctions on Russia, emphasizing that such penalties should be used “to bring a deterrent effect” until the last possible minute.