U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in Ukraine William Taylor has said that he welcomes the upcoming summit in the Normandy Format (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia) and noted that Russia is responsible for the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“I congratulate President [of Ukraine Volodymyr] Zelensky and his foreign policy team for their recent accomplishments. Successfully bringing sailors and other political prisoners home; disengaging at Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, and Petrivske; and, most recently, securing the return of the Ukrainian ships that Russia illegally seized are concrete accomplishments on the road to peace, and all Ukrainians have reason to be proud. We also welcome the announcement of the upcoming Normandy Format summit and look forward to additional progress toward peace,” reads Taylor’s statement posted on the website of the United States Embassy in Ukraine on Nov. 19.
“Of course, there are always some who will seek to divide Ukraine, especially Russia. We must not listen to Russian disinformation. Some local media stories have implausibly alleged members of the President’s team sympathize with Russia or believe former President Petro Poroshenko started the conflict. Russia is clearly responsible for the conflict,” he said.
Taylor also stressed that the United States stands firmly with Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and in Ukraine’s quest for peace.
