Ukraine's MFA on talks with US: Distorting American approach is unfair
Photo: Sergiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (Getty Images)
The American negotiating team is dedicating effort, time, and resources to establishing peace in Ukraine. Distorting their approach is unfair, according to Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergiy Kyslytsya and Axios journalist Barak Ravid.
He emphasized that it is important for the United States to remain fully engaged in the peace process and to work on identifying steps that could lead to a fair and sustainable end to the war.
"It is unfair to mischaracterize approach of the American team while they investing time, efforts, and resources into making peace. Every team listens carefully to each other. The Ukrainian position is very clear. The anonymous sources aren’t correct," Kyslytsya added.
How the talks went
An unnamed American official told Ravid that the talks between Zelenskyy and American officials "were productive."
Rumors about the talks in Germany
Yesterday, December 15, and today, December 16, in Berlin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is holding talks with US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
According to The Wall Street Journal, during yesterday’s meeting, December 15, Witkoff and Kushner did not make compromises with Zelenskyy. They tried to pressure the Ukrainian leader to agree to a quick peace deal. Washington wants to see an agreement reached by the end of the year.
The outlet reported that the talks "turned into a tug-of-war." The main point of contention was the issue of territory. Ukraine is resisting US calls to withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region.
At the same time, AFP writes that during the talks, the US side directly demanded that Ukraine give up Donbas. Zelenskyy refuses such a scenario and wants the ceasefire to begin without territorial concessions.
Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, explained that for Ukraine, a just peace is one without giving up territory. He noted that the sides must stop the fighting and begin negotiations.
According to the general, any other format is unacceptable for Ukraine.
