Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Glenn Diesen: NATO's War of Choice - The Sabotage of the Istanbul Negotiations
Feb 24, 2026
A close look at claims that Western powers undermined Istanbul negotiations to keep the conflict going. Discussion of early Ukrainian willingness for neutrality and how Western military aid and rhetoric shifted incentives. Accounts of near-agreements in Istanbul and reported interventions by US and UK officials. Calls for renewed diplomacy to secure a peace settlement and end further bloodshed.
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Western Rejection Of Early Peace Talks
- The US and UK publicly opposed early peace talks in late February 2022 despite Ukrainian willingness to discuss neutrality.
- Ned Price and UK officials demanded Russian withdrawal first and framed diplomacy as illegitimate while EU approved €450m military aid.
US Rhetoric Emphasized Weakening Russia
- US officials framed the war as an opportunity to weaken Russia rather than solely defend Ukrainian sovereignty.
- Lloyd Austin said the goal was to 'see Russia weakened' and Leon Panetta called it a proxy conflict in March 2022.
Open Support For Prolonging The Conflict
- Multiple Western voices openly preferred a long war to 'bleed Putin' and pursue regime change.
- Bloomberg cited US/UK sources and Zelensky warned some Western actors 'don't mind a long war' even at Ukraine's cost.