U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor has said that the readiness of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin is important and inspiring.
In an interview with the Ukrayinska Pravda ezine published on August 15, he said it was important and great that in times of escalation, President Zelensky called Putin twice to discuss these incidents. According to him, now there is a possibility that the presidents of Ukraine and Russia can discuss Donbas, the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait. Ukrainians and Russians are now able to talk about it in principle, and it’s inspiring news for me, he said.
At the same time, the ambassador said the only one who could end the war was Russian President Putin.
What has changed under Zelensky? The first is a change in attitude towards Ukrainians in the occupied territories. The second is a new desire for bilateral negotiations with Russia. And the third is a new level of interest in the well-being of people on both sides [of the contact line], the ambassador said.
Taylor also added that the idea of deploying a UN peacekeeping mission to Donbas is still being discussed as a possible tool for resolving the conflict.
