© Sergey Karpukhin/TASS

US State Secretary Anthony Blinken has paid another visit to Kiev to announce, among other things, Washington’s intention to allocate extra aid worth over $1 billion. Besides, the United States will for the first time transfer assets seized from sanctioned Russian oligarchs to support Ukrainian military veterans — some $5.4 million. Other issues of the parties’ agenda have not been dwelt upon in detail.

Also, Zelensky is reported to have elaborated on the frontline situation and AFU needs in long-range weapons, artillery, armored vehicles and air defenses. Blinken said President Biden was hopeful to have talks with Zelensky in the nearest future, expectedly at the UN General Assembly session scheduled to begin on September 19. Negotiation details have not been disclosed but the two presidents may move from New York to Washington to that effect.

Lack of transparency over Blinken’s genuine conversation subjects with Zelensky and Kuleba only fuels speculation that the US State Secretary has brought to Kiev a new set of tasks given the AFU’s failed counteroffensive. The latter is accompanied by major losses in manpower and Western military equipment that can be only compared to "the forest fire spread rate," as Western media put it. At the same time, President Zelensky has enlisted US confidence and pledges of extra assistance, The New York Times writes. Bloomberg, in turn, highlights Blinken’s following words: "We’ve seen good progress in the counteroffensive. It’s very heartening."

Meanwhile, Russian military commanders claim Ukraine’s guilt in carrying out a missile attack on a market in Donetsk region’s Ukrainian-controlled Konstantinovka. As a result, 16 people were killed, including a child.

Let's try to understand the reasoning behind Blinken’s arrival in Kiev. As per analysis by America’s numerous media outlets, we can be sure that the US administration is seeking acceptable forms of ending the war in Ukraine, at least some kind of temporary truce. Blinken has seemingly talked to Zelensky about ways to wrap up the conflict — and it is Kiev who should take the lead here, not Washington, otherwise the US administration assumes the role of a party to cry uncle. Zelensky, who obviously loathes wearing these shoes as well, might have discussed with Blinken ways to start a dialogue with Moscow while not appearing as the underdog. The same thing he will probably hear from Biden during his visit to the United States. This is what Blinken has been arranging for.

Official reports from Kiev and Washington feature no explicit reference to this kind of conclusions. "The United States is committed to empowering Ukraine to write its own future <…> We are committed to helping Ukraine build a force for the future that can deter and defend against future aggression," Blinken said at the press conference following his meeting with Zelensky, completely ignoring the fact that Ukraine has long run out of human resources to form an army in years to come. What is there to talk about if a total mobilization is looming to embrace college students and those unfit for service for health reasons? And Ukrainian social media also feature a video encouraging women to serve.

The US administration needs any form of peace in Ukraine for a number of reasons. First, those standing behind Biden seek to make him enter the presidential race as a "peacemaker", once the "victor over Russia" title is no longer an option. The administration is in great fear that any Democratic candidate will be seen as part of the party that lost the war in Ukraine by November 2024. Which makes them hastily attempt to settle things right here, right now. And one of the options is to change the Kiev regime’s face. The United States is looking for a new "bird of peace" president to sit and talk with Moscow.

Second, the Americans have long come to realize that Russia will sooner or later push forward on the offensive itself. And where it will end is anyone's guess. Washington suspects that Russia won’t stop at Kharkov, or Kiev, or Odessa, hence America’s haste to preserve some even remotely sizable piece of Ukrainian territory by the time a "peaceful dialogue" begins. And this requires a new "zelensky" with no reputation of a leader sending soldiers to "meat assaults".

Third, the affected image of the European military-industrial complex has been there for all to see. The burning German and British tanks are an excellent subvertisement for Western weaponry, so the US will take pains to make its Abrams tanks and F-16 aircraft avoid this kind of fate.

The results of Zelensky's meeting with Biden will allow confirming or refuting these conclusions, if announced at all. Serving as a direct acknowledgment of this rationale can be Zelensky's declared readiness to hold the next presidential election in March 2024. With the West to pay for it, truth be told. And the latter does seem willing to do so and have a "bird of peace" to retain at least something left of Ukraine.