Zelenskyy's Office after meeting with Witkoff: US is not pressuring Ukraine on territorial issues

Yermak noted that he was satisfied with today’s meeting in New York with Steve Witkoff, the US president’s special envoy for the Middle East.

"It is very important to immediately stop all speculation — no one from the American side is pressuring Ukraine regarding any territories," the head of the Presidential Office emphasized.

Yermak reminded that he and other Ukrainian officials have recently visited Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Türkiye. All of these countries are ready to host Ukraine-Russia negotiations at the leadership level. Russia is the only country not ready for such a dialogue.

He said he discussed security guarantees for Ukraine with Witkoff. The US special envoy confirmed that his country is prepared to provide direct guarantees to Ukraine, similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Yermak explained that Ukraine works daily with national security advisors from its partners. Currently, a wide range of security guarantee options are being discussed to ensure that aggression cannot happen again.

He also noted that he and Witkoff separately discussed that if no timeline for a leadership-level meeting becomes clear, the US administration would return to considering sanctions against Russia.

"To avoid any manipulation — there is no pressure from the Americans on us regarding any territories or similar matters; personally, I have heard nothing of the sort," he added.

Rubio’s assurances

A few weeks ago, US Senator Marco Rubio stated that the US is not pressuring Ukraine on territorial issues.

Rubio emphasized that no one in the world has the right to demand territorial concessions from Ukraine for Russia.