US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker says negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war are productive, but acknowledges that continued massive strikes speak for themselves, Fox News reports.
"I think we're closer [to a deal] than we've ever been. Obviously, this past weekend, spending two or three days simultaneously in negotiations with both Ukrainians and Russians was, as Steve Witkoff said, productive and constructive. But right now the ball is on the Russians' side," Whitaker said.
According to the ambassador, about four documents are currently "on the table": a 20-point peace plan along with multilateral security guarantees, security guarantees provided by the United States, an economic growth and prosperity plan after achieving peace.
"I think we're trying to figure out what the maximum is that Russia is willing to do. They continue to carry out these massive attacks overnight against Ukraine. That in some ways speaks for itself," Whitaker stated.
He agreed with the journalist that Russia has never been ready to acknowledge large losses on its side and has always been willing to "suffer" more than other countries.
"Such losses and millions of victims would never be tolerable to any other country except Russia. And at the same time, this is what they're doing for very small, if any, gains on the battlefield," the ambassador emphasized.
On 21 December, Defense Minister Umerov summarized the results of the last three days of talks in Florida with American and European partners, calling the meetings productive and constructive.
On 23 December, Umerov and Hnatov briefed President Zelenskyy on the negotiations in the United States. There are prepared drafts of documents on security guarantees for Ukraine, reconstruction, and a basic framework for ending the war.
Read also:
