Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s Office, informed that on August 29, a meeting took place in New York with the special representative of the U.S. President, Steve Witkoff. The discussion was joined by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Serhiy Kyslytsya.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Security and Diplomacy Issues
According to Yermak, the main goal of the negotiations was to strengthen real diplomacy and ensure the implementation of the agreements reached during the summit in Washington. The parties are coordinating efforts towards the implementation of these decisions.
“The main priority is to promote real diplomacy and ensure the implementation of all agreements reached at the Washington summit. We are coordinating our efforts,” Yermak stated.
At the beginning of the meeting, Yermak informed the American side about the war crimes committed by Russia against the civilian population of Ukraine. He particularly emphasized the missile strike on Kyiv, which resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including four children.
The head of the President’s Office stressed that Russia is deliberately prolonging hostilities and is not taking the necessary steps to end the war. Ukraine, for its part, supports the aspirations of U.S. President Donald Trump and international partners to achieve a just peace and welcomes all peace initiatives; however, Russia is blocking these processes.
Peace Initiatives and Security Guarantees
Yermak noted that Ukraine is open to direct negotiations at the highest level and is ready to discuss a wide range of issues to achieve peace. He emphasized the need for global pressure on Russia to encourage it to engage in real negotiations and organize critically important meetings of leaders.
It was previously reported that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff would meet with the Ukrainian delegation, which includes Andriy Yermak and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov.
Since Donald Trump took office as President of the United States, his administration has focused on the swift conclusion of the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine. Washington emphasizes the necessity of ceasing hostilities and reaching a peace agreement.
Recently, U.S. representatives have noted progress in peace negotiations: Trump has already held meetings with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Russia continues to avoid a personal meeting between the leaders and is putting forward new demands. Despite this, the White House emphasizes that both sides are already ready for certain concessions compared to their initial positions.
Ukraine continues to insist on receiving reliable security guarantees. According to sources from the Financial Times, during the negotiations, the U.S. expressed its readiness to provide air and intelligence support for a potential mission of European countries that may consider deploying troops to Ukraine after the cessation of active hostilities.
Sources from the publication believe that U.S. agreement to provide support is an important achievement for Ukraine and its European partners. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly opposed the deployment of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory, which raises questions about the fulfillment of the proposed guarantees.