Ukraine's Deputy PM on contacts with US: Focusing on Trump's promises to end war
Photo: Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Minister of Justice of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is currently actively engaging with the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump. The focus is on his most concrete promises, including those concerning ending the war, states Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna, in response to a question from an RBC-Ukraine correspondent.
"Currently, we are focusing on President Trump's most concrete promises, as he had publicly committed, either before his victory or during his campaign, to ending the war in Ukraine," Stefanishyna said during a solidarity evening marking the launch of the international 16 Days of Activism Against Violence campaign.
She added that active engagements are ongoing with both the incoming US administration and the current one. At the same time, the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, is discussing elements of a victory plan with American officials.
According to Stefanishyna, US President Joe Biden's administration missed the opportunity to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
"Today, we are focused on implementing President Trump's promises in the best way for us. However, the principled position of all of us — I believe, the people of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine — is that ending the war is impossible without Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
Trump's promises
During his election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly made statements about Russia's war against Ukraine.
In particular, he assured that if he became US president, he would "end the war within 24 hours," citing his familiarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following a meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump also stated that he aimed for a "fair deal for everybody" in the context of the war in Ukraine.
