Russia is open to negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine if initiated by US President-elect Donald Trump. Moscow’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, told reporters on Thursday, Reuters reports.
“Trump promised to resolve the Ukrainian crisis overnight. Okay, let him try. But we, of course, are realistic and understand that this will never happen. But if you initiate or propose something to start the political process, you will be welcome.” – said Gatilov.
Any such negotiations must be based on “the realities on the ground,” he said, stressing that Ukraine is losing. Russian troops are advancing at their fastest pace in at least a year and now control about a fifth of the country’s territory.
Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the magnitude of Western assistance to kyiv and promised to end the conflict “within 24 hours,” without going into details of how exactly he plans to do so. His victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election has raised concerns in kyiv and other European capitals about the extent of the United States’ future commitment to helping Ukraine, the agency said.
