The U.S. latest statement said it will not force Ukraine
As the year-end approaches, Ukraine peace negotiations are accelerating. The Trump administration team will meet with Ukrainian officials in Miami, Florida this weekend, and European countries will also participate. The U.S. will also hold separate meetings with Russian representatives, but territorial issues remain a major obstacle to the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said on December 19 local time at a press conference that the United States will not force Ukraine to accept a deal, and any agreement must be decided by the conflicting parties themselves.
According to Hong Kong English media South China Morning Post, the Trump administration previously proposed that the U.S. would provide security guarantees for Ukraine, but in exchange, Ukraine may need to cede part of its territory. This plan has been strongly opposed by many Ukrainian people.
A source familiar with the negotiations revealed earlier this week that the U.S. is pressuring Ukraine to cede part of the territory in the eastern Donetsk region.
However, Rubio stated that the final agreement must be agreed upon by both Russia and Ukraine.
"If Ukraine does not agree, no peace agreement can be reached," Rubio said at the press conference. "The claim that we are trying to force Ukraine to accept a certain agreement is absurd. We cannot force Ukraine to reach an agreement, nor can we force Russia to compromise. An agreement must be based on the voluntary consent of both sides."
He said that the current focus of the U.S. is to clarify which conditions are acceptable to Ukraine and which are acceptable to Russia, and to try to narrow the differences between the two sides to promote the achievement of some form of agreement. He said that progress has been made in the relevant negotiations, but more efforts are still needed.
Rubio also revealed that he does not rule out going to his hometown Miami on Saturday (20th) to participate in the meeting.
Trump's special envoy for Ukraine-Russia issues, Witkov, and his son-in-law Kushner are the main organizers of this meeting. Attendees include Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, as well as senior officials from the UK, France, and Germany.
Different from previous weeks' bilateral U.S.-Ukraine meetings in Geneva, Miami, and Berlin, European countries will participate directly in the consultations for the first time this time.
It is reported that Russian officials, including Kremlin representative Dmitriyev, also plan to hold separate meetings with the U.S. in Florida over the weekend.
Umerov said on social media that after the meeting in Miami, he and Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andriy Gnatov will report to President Zelenskyy.
"We are committed to promoting the negotiations in a constructive direction," Umerov wrote. "All our actions strictly follow the priority goals set by the president: Ukraine's security must be reliably and long-term guaranteed."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852011471816704/
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