Ukraine's Foreign Ministry comments on US statements about changing approach to ending war
Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, has commented on the US State Department's statement that the United States would change its approach to efforts to end the Russo-Ukrainian war and take a less active role.
Source: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Telegram, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Tykhyi said that, following the US statement, he contacted State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Quote from Tykhyi: "We confirmed that her comment on the US role as a mediator was made in the context of her similar comment earlier this week: 'If there is no progress, we will step back from the mediator role'."
Details: Tykhyi stated that this was not a new position of the United States, but merely a repetition of what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already stated.
Background:
On 29 April, Rubio said that Washington would abandon its mediator role between Russia and Ukraine in the absence of progress toward peace.
Earlier, Rubio said that the current week would be critically important for the United States' decision on whether to continue efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
31 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin told him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him 'very strongly' in a phone call Wednesday that he will respond to Ukraine's weekend drone attack on Russian airfields. The U.S. president said in a social media post that 'It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.' The call that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes was Trump's first known with Putin since May 19. Trump said he and Putin also discussed Iran's nuclear program. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday dismissed Russia's ceasefire proposal as 'an ultimatum' and renewed his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock over the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3½ years. Putin, however, showed no willingness to meet with Zelenskyy, expressing anger Wednesday about what he said were Ukraine's recent 'terrorist acts' on Russian rail lines in the Kursk and Bryansk regions on the countries' border. 'How can any such (summit) meetings be conducted in such circumstances? What shall we talk about?' Putin asked in a video call with top Russian officials. He accused Ukraine of seeking a truce only to replenish its stockpiles of Western arms, recruit more soldiers and prepare new attacks like those in Kursk and Bryansk. Both sides exchanged memorandums setting out their conditions for a ceasefire for discussion at Monday's direct peace talks between delegations in Istanbul, their second meeting in just over two weeks. Zelenskyy had previously challenged Putin to meet him in Turkey, but Putin stayed away. Russia and Ukraine have established red lines that make a quick deal unlikely, despite a U.S.-led international diplomatic push to stop the fighting. The Kremlin's Istanbul proposal contained a list of demands that Kyiv and its Western allies see as nonstarters. Zelenskyy said that the second round of talks in Istanbul was no different from the first meeting on May 16. Zelenskyy described the latest negotiations in Istanbul as 'a political performance' and 'artificial diplomacy' designed to stall for time, delay sanctions and convince the United States that Russia is engaged in dialogue. 'The same ultimatums they voiced back then — now they just put them on paper … Honestly, this document looks like spam. It's spam meant to flood us and create the impression that they're doing something,' Zelenskyy said in his first reaction to the Russian document. He added that the 2025 talks in Istanbul carry 'the same content and spirit' as the fruitless negotiations held in the Turkish city in the early days of the war. The Ukrainian leader said that he sees little value in continuing talks at the current level of delegations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, while Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, headed the Russian team. Zelenskyy said he wants a ceasefire with Russia before a possible summit meeting with Putin, possibly also including U.S. President Donald Trump, in an effort to remove obstacles to a peace settlement. The U.S. has led a recent diplomatic push to stop the full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. 'We are proposing … a ceasefire before a leaders' summit,' with the U.S. acting as a mediator, Zelenskyy told a media briefing in Kyiv. 'Why a ceasefire before the leaders' meeting? Because if we meet and there is no mutual understanding, no willingness or vision on how to end this, then the ceasefire would end that same day. But if we see readiness to continue the dialogue and take real steps toward de-escalation, then the ceasefire would be extended with U.S. mediation guarantees,' he said. Ukraine is ready to meet at any time from next Monday at a venue such as Istanbul, the Vatican or Switzerland, Zelenskyy said. A second round of peace talks on Monday between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul lasted just over an hour and made no progress on ending the war. They agreed only to swap thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops. Also, a new prisoner exchange with Russia could take place over the weekend, Zelenskyy said. The U.S. has shown signs of distancing itself from the conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth skipped a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday of an international group coordinating military aid to Ukraine. It was the first time America's Pentagon chief didn't attend alongside 50 other defense leaders since the U.S. created the group three years ago. An analysis published Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, said the Kremlin is hoping for U.S. disengagement while avoiding further sanctions. 'Without serious pain, Putin will continue to drag the peace talks out, keep fighting, and wait for the United States to walk away,' it said. In tandem with the talks, both sides have kept up offensive military actions along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and carried out deep strikes. Ukraine's Security Service gave more details Wednesday about its spectacular weekend drone strike on Russian air bases, which it claimed destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers. The agency claimed the planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that artificial intelligence helped guide the drones thousands of miles from Ukraine. It also said it set off an explosion on Tuesday on the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a vital transport link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused damage to the structure. But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that there was no damage. Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its troops have taken control of another village in Ukraine's northern Sumy region, on the border with Russia. Putin announced on May 22 that Russian troops aim to create a buffer zone that might help prevent Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia's Ministry of Defense claims its forces have taken control of nine Sumy villages.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EU extends asylum protections for Ukrainian refugees, stressed as ‘temporary'
June 4 (UPI) -- The European Union's Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner spoke Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium to announce the EU has extended its deadline in regard to the unchallenged, but temporary, provision of asylum to displaced Ukrainians by an extra year. The EU had already put in action a decree that Ukrainians do not need to apply for asylum to enter EU member states, which was also rolled out to avoid potentially overwhelming national asylum systems. That decree, originally set to expire in March 2026, will now continue until March 2027. "Temporary protection was part of our commitment to Ukraine, an unprecedented measure to show solidarity with the millions of people uprooted by Russia's illegal aggression," Brunner said. He stressed that this protection is designed to be temporary, and that the EU has begun to create an exit strategy to send displaced people back to Ukraine "once they are able to, or when temporary protection ends." The EU also proclaimed it has added more than $4.5 billion in funds related to migration and asylum in addition to the over $17 billion provided to member states who are involved with those who seek asylum. "After all, hosting 4.3 million people creates challenges, and some member states have been under particular pressure," Brunner said. He further explained that should Russia's war on Ukraine end before the 2027 deadline, the temporary protection could also end earlier than that point. As for Ukrainians now located in EU countries, they are welcome to apply for work and student visas. Ukrainians are also allowed to return to their home country now, as it is facing worker shortages, so EU member states will provide what Brunner describes as "go-and-see" visits in order to explore if a return to Ukraine is workable, then come back to the EU member country if need be. "As Russia's attacks against Ukraine intensify, we will extend protection for another year, while also preparing for various scenarios to support Ukrainians' decision to remain or return," Brunner later posted Wednesday to X that. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov also publicly spoke with Brunner in Brussels, and later posted to social media Wednesday that, in conjunction with its international partners "we are also developing mechanisms for the voluntary return of Ukrainians. Our goal is to jointly create the conditions for Ukrainians to return home safely, with dignity, and at the right time."
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Graham offers Europe-friendly carveout to Russia sanctions bill
Sen. Lindsey Graham plans to amend his crippling Russia sanctions bill to exempt countries that help Ukraine's defense against Russia, he told Semafor on Wednesday. After senators heard from countries worried about being caught up in 500% sanctions if they trade with Russia — a major energy producer in Europe — Graham said he plans to change the bill to omit levies on countries that have helped the fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Why don't we carve out for countries who are helping Ukraine? If you're providing military economic assistance to Ukraine, you get a carveout. So China, if you don't want to get sanctioned, help Ukraine … that makes sense to me,' Graham said in an interview. Graham said he spoke to President Donald Trump about his effort on Tuesday night. He declined to say what Trump thought of his latest proposal: 'I'll let him speak for himself.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this week the decision about sanctions is Trump's to make, signaling possible problems with the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., indicated this week the Senate could move this month on a sanctions bill. Graham was more firm, predicting action on his plan in June 'unless there's some breakthrough.' 'I appreciate what President Trump has done. He's gone the extra mile … Putin's uninterested. He's gonna have another invasion soon. We've got a limited time to act,' Graham said. 'Let's put these sanctions out. Let's increase the cost to China and the other bad actors,' he added. 'It's the only way to keep this war from widening.' GOP leaders are closely consulting with the White House, even as many rank-and-file Republicans are tired of waiting for Trump's green light. Despite Leavitt's cool response, it's possible the Senate could cobble together a veto-proof majority for Graham's bill. A Ukrainian delegation is briefing senators today, per POLITICO.
