Ukraine not ready to compromise with Russia, Zelenskiy adviser says

By Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ukraine is not ready to compromise with Russia and give up any territory to end the war, a senior Ukrainian official said on Tuesday when asked about U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s claim that he could quickly end the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told reporters during a visit to Washington that kyiv would listen to any advice on how to achieve a “just peace” in the war Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“But we are not prepared to compromise on very important things and values… independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty,” he said.

Yermak’s visit comes ahead of next week’s NATO summit in the US capital, where Ukraine is expected to be the main topic of discussion.

Trump, the Republican candidate challenging President Joe Biden, said during a debate between the two men last week that if re-elected in November, he would quickly resolve the war in Ukraine before taking office in January.

He did not provide details on how he would proceed, but Reuters reported last week that two key Trump advisers had presented him with a plan that would involve threatening to cut off U.S. aid if kyiv did not enter into negotiations with Moscow.

During the debate, however, Trump said he did not accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conditions. Putin said Russia would end the war if kyiv agreed to cede four eastern and southern regions of the country claimed by Moscow.

Asked about Ukraine’s view on how Trump would handle the war, Yermak said: “Honest answer: I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Ukraine would pressure a new U.S. administration to continue supporting it, he said, adding that Ukraine had received bipartisan support in Washington and that polls showed most Americans still supported Ukraine after two years of war.

“It will be… a decision of the American people. We will respect that choice,” Yermak said of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The United States has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion in military assistance since 2022. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the United States will soon announce more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine.