Russia Is Willing to Work With Trump to Improve Ties With Ukraine, Officials Say
Russia is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump to help improve relations with Ukraine, provided the US makes the first move, according to Kremlin officials. The statement came as the war in Ukraine threatens to stretch into a third year.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia could be ready to come to the negotiating table regarding its “special military operation” in Ukraine if the US acts first. He emphasized that the US should move first, as “the Americans broke the dialogue, so they should make the first move.”
Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick for Ukraine envoy, has previously stated that both Russia and Ukraine appear to be willing to negotiate an end to the war, citing heavy casualties and damage to critical infrastructure. Kellogg believes that after over 1,000 days of war, both sides are ready to step back and consider a ceasefire.
The war has seen Russia lose tens of thousands of soldiers, with an average of 1,200 soldiers being killed or injured per day. Ukraine has lost around 150,000 of its people. The country’s energy infrastructure has been severely damaged as a result of Russia’s prolonged bombing campaign.
Recently, Russia launched a Christmas Day bombardment against Ukraine’s power grid, which the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskyy described as a “deliberate” choice by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine’s military has lost around 40% of the land it seized in Russia’s Kursk region, which could further erode morale.
Lavrov’s remarks come as Kellogg is set to travel to Ukraine in January for an information-gathering trip. Lavrov also said that he is open to having peace talks in a third country, such as Slovakia, but it is unclear whether Ukraine would be willing to accept this offer.
