US could play key role in monitoring Ukraine-Russia ceasefire - Zelenskyy Office
Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Andriy Yermak (all photos: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The United States of America did not explicitly say it was ready to monitor the temporary ceasefire on the frontline. At the same time, they did not refuse, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, states in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
According to Yermak, only American partners have the necessary capabilities to monitor the ceasefire at the front. Although they can involve others, the US leadership is the most important one in this matter.
"...because they really can monitor everything with their satellites. And it's extremely important to anticipate actions in the event of a ceasefire violation. If there's no clear mechanism in place, it's always very difficult to determine what actually happened, who violated it, how it was violated, and so on," explained Yermak.
How the ceasefire will be declared
According to the Ukrainian Presidential Office head, the first step will require a political declaration of a ceasefire, which, in turn, will not be able to work 100% from the first minute. However, if the political will and monitoring are present, it is possible to move on to the second step, namely forming a framework for future negotiations and potential negotiations themselves.
Answering the question of whether the United States is ready to monitor the ceasefire, Yermak said: "I can't say that they've said "yes, we are ready." However, he noted that Washington did not refuse, which is good. In particular, there are other countries that will be ready to participate.
"Do we believe that Russia will agree to a ceasefire and not simply stall for time? No, we don't. But we must be ready to start a genuine peace process," Yermak said.
Future negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
On the night of May 10-11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin rejected the ceasefire proposal, instead taking the initiative to resume direct talks with Ukraine and proposing a meeting on May 15 in Istanbul.
On the morning of the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his readiness for negotiations but emphasized that a confirmed ceasefire, which was to come into effect on May 12, was a prerequisite for the start of the dialogue.
After that, Türkkiye officially announced its readiness to mediate the talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump's special representative to Ukraine, in turn, said that the negotiation process is possible only after a real cessation of hostilities.
