Part of this is the current push to get heavier US and NATO weaponry to Ukraine as fast as possible. Crucially, there's no mention in WaPo's coverage of the Burns trip that opening a pathway for ceasefire talks was at all a point of discussion with Zelensky. And importantly:"Burns emphasized the urgency of the moment on the battlefield and acknowledged that at some point assistance would be harder to come by, the people said." "At least, it’s not our assessment that the Russians are serious at this point about a real negotiation." Thus for the time being it's all about battlefield leverage to gain the most spoils whenever that final negotiated settlement does come.

Source: Washington Post January 21, 2023 04:08 UTC