'There's a gulf between them': US wants direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow
Photo: US Vice President Jay D. Vance (GettyImages)
The US wants Russia and Ukraine to begin direct negotiations to end the war. The US is ready to assist in this, states US Vice President J.D. Vance during his speech at the Munich meeting in Washington.
"The step we would like to make right now is we would like both the Russians and Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another," said Vance.
According to him, the United States would be happy to participate in these negotiations, but it is very important for "the Russians and Ukrainians to start talking to one another."
"That is the next step we would like to make. Why does that matter? The reason it matters is, again, I mentioned the Russians, but also the Ukrainians... They put a piece of paper in our hands that says this is what we would need in order to bring this conflict to a successful resolution from our perspective, and there's a big gulf predictably between where the Russians and Ukrainians are. And we think next is to close the gulf," Vance stated.
In his opinion, the United States cannot be a mediator without at least holding direct talks between the two parties. Therefore, the focus should be on this.
"Obviously, the Russians and Ukrainians are not there yet, because the fighting is still going on. The Ukrainians have said, 'We would agree to a 30-day ceasefire.' We appreciate that," he said.
Trump and the Russia-Ukraine war
After Donald Trump's return to the White House, the new US administration has ramped up efforts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, focusing on a ceasefire as the first step toward a peace agreement.
In particular, Washington proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to both sides — Kyiv agreed, while Moscow continues to ignore the initiative, instead declaring short-term ceasefires lasting 2-3 days.
Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the US might withdraw from the peace process if no prospects for a ceasefire emerge soon. According to the Financial Times, Trump may indeed pull out of the negotiations, justifying it with "minimal progress." This scenario is a concern in Europe.
For more on Trump and US peace efforts, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
