WASHINGTON, November 12. /TASS/. The US administration thinks that the Ukrainian conflict may be settled based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a briefing on Friday.
"It's up to Ukraine to decide when and how they want to negotiate," he said. "We're not going to pressure them, we're not going to dictate to them," the official stressed. "We believe in a just peace based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that <…> are embedded in the UN Charter," he added.
According to Sullivan, "Russia is doubling down on its annexation" and "that's not exactly a sign of seriousness about negotiating." He emphasized that Washington intends to continue providing military aid to Kiev in order to "put Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield" so that "they're in the best possible position at the negotiating table" when the Kiev regime decides to negotiate.
On October 4, Zelensky enacted the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council’s decision that made talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin impossible. On October 31, the Russian leader said that he did not see the point of discussing any agreements with Ukraine until it decides to do so, yet Moscow’s goodwill to negotiate remained invariable. He noted that it is necessary "to sit down at the negotiating table" in order to reach agreements.
On February 24, Putin said in a televised address that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." Following this, the US and its allies announced the introduction of sweeping sanctions against Russia and stepped up arms deliveries to Kiev.