State Department: Putin won't hold peace talks on Ukraine before the US presidential election
Washington considers a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict unlikely in the coming year
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not make peace with Ukraine until he knows the results of the US presidential election in November 2024, a senior US State Department official has suggested. His statement came amid fears that Donald Trump's possible victory in the election could significantly affect Western support for Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Trump, who is considered the leading Republican presidential candidate, has sharply criticized US support for Kyiv, the agency recalls.
After a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, an American diplomat cited by Reuters told reporters on Tuesday that he believes a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict is unlikely in the coming year.
"My expectation is that Putin will not sign a peace deal before he sees the results of our elections," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked whether he was expressing a personal opinion or the view of the US government, he said it was a "common view."
It was in this context that all allies expressed strong support for Ukraine at a NATO meeting on Tuesday, the official added, without mentioning Trump by name.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid-November showed Trump and U.S. President Joe Biden with roughly equal chances of winning, with Trump leading Biden 51% to 49%.
Earlier in November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Trump to a dialogue after he claimed that he could end the war in 24 hours if re-elected.
Background. As a reminder, Zelensky said he was ready to discuss Trump's peace plan, but Ukraine "will not give up Donbas and Crimea to Russia."
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