US Remains Key Mediator, Supports Ukraine’s Efforts To End War, State Dept Says

The United States on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to Kyiv and its efforts to end the Russian war against Ukraine.

“Our commitment is not one that is fainting. It is not one that was brief,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a daily briefing in response to Kyiv Post’s questions, emphasizing that the US remains Ukraine’s “largest supporter”.

Bruce was responding to “erroneous” reports claiming last week that Washington had pulled out of a formal peace process between Ukraine and Russia, a decision that she says remains available for President Trump only, who, as recently as on Tuesday. who expressed optimism about peace talks, saying that his senior advisor Steve Witkoff had “made a lot of progress” with his visits to Russia.

While Washington’s mediating styles “might change on occasion, or the nature of the strategies might change,” she clarified. “We remain within our posture of being mediators within this framework.”  

Bruce’s comments on Tuesday also came as the US President Donald Trump was hosting Canada’s newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House during which he said, they were going to discuss “quick end” of the war in Ukraine “because [PM] Mark [Carney] wants to end it as quickly as I do,” as Trump told reporters.  

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Full Statement (Translated): UK, France and Germany After Moscow Talks

The British Embassy in Moscow published a joint statement on Thursday after a rare meeting between UK, French and German envoys at Moscow’s foreign ministry building. Amid Europe’s renewed peace push, the statement backs Zelensky’s recent call for a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin.

The White House said Trump also discussed Ukrainian peace during a weekend phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When asked by Kyiv Post whether US mediating efforts had entered “new phase” following last week’s Minerals deal with Ukraine, State Department’s Bruce went on to remind that Washington had requested the both parties to come up with their proposals for an enduring peace, and that “we are looking for that progress”

“It is reliant on the parties showing us that progress is possible,” she emphasized. Ukraine and Russia “must come together with concrete efforts and acknowledgements and ideas and strategies to end the conflict,” she said, admitting later that it would be difficult to get them to agree to cease the hostilities.

Last week, the US and Ukraine inked a lucrative minerals deal following two months of intense negotiations, potentially souring Moscow’s willingness to negotiate.

As Kyiv Post reported earlier, senior advisors to Trump, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, believe that the minerals deal could be seen as a way to pressure Russia.

The agreement created a shared investment fund with Washington having the option to earn credit toward its contributions in the form of military equipment, technology, or training for Ukraine’s forces.