Ukraine will participate in negotiations with Russia and the United States “one way or another,” but peace talks will remain primarily bilateral, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
“We, of course, understand that our main counterpart in this process is Washington,” Peskov said, according to Russian state media. “One way or another, of course, Ukraine will participate in the negotiations. Of course, there will be a bilateral Russian-American track of this dialogue, and a track that, of course, will be connected with Ukraine’s involvement.”
Peskov’s remarks came after a whirlwind 24 hours in which U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and declared that negotiations between the U.S. and Russia to end the war in Ukraine would commence imminently, notably sidelining Ukrainian participation in his public messaging. At the same time, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called a return to Ukraine’s old borders an “illusory goal.”
Later in the day, Trump declined to directly answer a reporter’s question about Ukraine’s role in the coming talks. “It’s an interesting question,” Trump replied, before suggesting that Ukraine chose to enter into a war with Russia after its invasion. “I think they have to make peace. That was not a good war to go into.”
The Trump administration’s decision to downplay Ukraine’s role in negotiations with Russia — and to reopen communication channels with the Russian leader — rattled European leaders and prompted an outpouring of criticism for Trump’s methods.
“Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity are unconditional,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Wednesday night. “Our priority must now be strengthening Ukraine and providing robust security guarantees.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put on a brave face after his conversation with Trump on Wednesday, saying the two leaders had a “meaningful conversation” about peace. But the Ukrainian leader was more forceful in his language on Thursday, saying he and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had agreed on a call that “no negotiations with Putin can begin without a united position from Ukraine, Europe and the U.S.”
“I also warned world leaders against trusting Putin’s claims of readiness to end the war,” Zelenskyy added.
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