White House makes statement on Ukraine-Russia talks in Geneva
Photo: Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (Getty Images)
The United States believes that progress was made during the third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing.
Read also: Ukraine holds separate meeting with Russia in Geneva without US: What is known
According to her, President Donald Trump and his team have committed a "tremendous amount of time and energy to bringing this war to an end".
"Just yesterday, there was another round of trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine. There was meaningful progress made in both parties. Both sides agreed to update their respective leaders and to continue to work towards a peace deal together. So, there will be another round of talks in the future," Leavitt said.
She added that Trump considers the situation caused by the war to be unfair not only to Ukrainians and Russians, but also to the American people. According to her, US taxpayers have been funding the military effort in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Talks in Geneva
The third round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the United States, concluded today, February 18.
According to an RBC-Ukraine source, the work of the military group, which is finalizing procedural issues, including monitoring mechanisms and a ceasefire, is nearly complete.
The source added that the political group’s work has stalled due to Moscow’s ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donetsk region.
The Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, is attempting to return the discussion to the points of the 2022 Istanbul negotiations.
The Ukrainian side managed to withstand the pressure and steer the dialogue into a more constructive direction, but key decisions now depend on a meeting at the level of the heads of state.
