US political veteran Kissinger: contract with Putin "probable" - he warns of chaos and "much greater concern"

Created: 06/30/2022, 15:30

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

According to ex-US Secretary of State Kissinger, a "peace treaty" could be concluded with Putin in the Ukraine conflict.

The former diplomat sees China as a "much bigger concern".

Munich — In the Ukraine conflict, the troops of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin are stepping up their attacks on eastern Ukraine.

Their advance there has accelerated considerably in recent weeks.

This map shows where the Ukraine war is raging.

Negotiations in the near future are not in sight.

Nevertheless, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger assumes a "peace treaty" with the Kremlin boss.

In addition, the veteran of US politics defended his statements at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the Russian-Ukrainian border from misinterpretation and at the same time warned of a "much bigger concern".

Ukraine News: "Peace Treaty" with Putin?

- Kissinger with assessment for the end of the war

With a view to the Ukraine war, Kissinger is already thinking about how to deal with the situation after the war.

"One day the war will be over.

And after this war, the relationship between Ukraine and Russia will be redefined,” he told

magazine .

According to the former US Secretary of State, even after the war in Ukraine, Russia will remain an "important factor in international relations".

Therefore, Europe will also have to redefine relations with Russia.

In this regard, Kissinger warned of chaos in Central Asia and the Middle East should Russia "break apart" as a result of the war.

The ex-diplomat is sure about Putin: "If he were toppled, that would certainly make negotiations easier." However, Kissinger was equally sure that continuing the war just to overthrow Putin would not enjoy public support - “no matter how unpopular Putin is at the moment”.

Therefore it is likely "that a peace treaty with Putin must be made".

Ex-US Secretary of State Kissinger: "China much more concerned" - former diplomat sees two tasks

According to Kissinger, China should be more of a concern today than Russia.

"China is my much greater concern," he told

magazine, reasoning, "China and the United States are superpowers capable of destroying humanity, and they keep increasing that capacity every year." The ex-US secretary of state sees the US and China as having a responsibility to “prevent such a war and curb their rivalry”.

He also pointed out that although there was already the rhetoric of a Cold War, there were also talks that were described as constructive.

According to Kissinger, the USA primarily has two tasks:

• "First, to be strategically strong and not fall under the dominance of another state."

• "And secondly, to shape the relationship in such a way that we don't get into a crisis like the Europeans before the First World War, when they sleepwalked into the war and didn't know how to get out of it again."

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The former US diplomat acknowledged that he was dealing with a "uniquely powerful adversary".

Yet he expressed concern for the future of the world amid this rivalry.

"We must be strong enough and believe in ourselves, but also wise enough to protect the future," Kissinger said.

The quality of "wisdom" is "unfortunately very underdeveloped" in the world.

The history of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present

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Ukraine-News: Kissinger clears up Davos misunderstanding - ex-minister wants to return to the situation before 2014

In an interview with

, Kissinger also had to defend his statements during a speech in Davos in May.

There he tied an end to the war and peace to cessions of territory in favor of Russia.

Now he explained what he actually meant by that.

"The misunderstanding arose from my statement that the border should be based on the status quo ante," says Kissinger.

For some, this has led to the interpretation "that Ukraine should accept the comparatively small losses of territory since 2014".

However, he didn't say anything like that and referred to "the limit of the status quo ante".

When asked, he emphasized that this means the border before the annexation of Crimea in 2014: "Ukraine within the state borders that are internationally recognized today." He also did not say that Ukraine should give up the Crimean peninsula.

Kissinger's words in Davos also drew criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.