Zelensky’s aide: Ukraine not ready to compromise with Russia

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration, speaking in Washington on Tuesday, July 2, said Ukraine was not ready to compromise with Russia and give up territory to end the war, responding to a question about U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments that he would quickly end the conflict with Russia, Reuters reports.

Yermak’s visit comes ahead of next week’s NATO summit in the United States, where Ukraine will be the main topic of discussion.

Yermak stressed that Ukraine is open to advice on achieving a “just peace” in the war

It started in February 2022, but “we are not ready to compromise on very important things and values… independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty,” he said.

During last week’s presidential debate, Republican candidate Trump said that if re-elected, he would quickly resolve the war in Ukraine without accepting Putin’s condition of ceding four regions to Russia.

Reuters reported that Trump’s advisers had proposed a plan to him to threaten to cut U.S. aid in order to force kyiv to negotiate.

Asked about Ukraine’s views on how Trump might handle the war in Ukraine, Yermak remained vague but stressed Ukraine’s intention to fight for continued U.S. support, adding that Ukraine had received bilateral support in Washington and that polls showed a majority of Americans still supported Ukraine after two years of war.

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

Since 2022, the United States has provided more than $50 billion in military aid to Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the United States will soon announce

more than $2.3 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine,

provide more anti-tank weapons, air defense interceptors and other essential munitions, which would also enable the accelerated acquisition of NASAMS and Patriot air defense interceptors.

Read also: Hungary’s Orbán ends first wartime visit to kyiv with plans for agreement on bilateral relations with Ukraine

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