US Remains Key Mediator and Supports Ukraine’s Efforts To End War

May 7 ------ The United States reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine and its efforts to end the war with Russia. “Our commitment is not one that is fainting. It is not one that was brief,” State Department’s spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a daily briefing in response to Kyiv Post’s questions, emphasizing that the US remains Ukraine’s “largest supporter”. 

Bruce was responding to “erroneous” reports claiming last week that Washington had pulled out of a formal peace process between Ukraine and Russia, a decision that she says, remains available for President Trump only, who as recently as on Tuesday. expressed optimism of peace talks saying that his senior advisor Steve Witkoff had “made a lot of progress” with his visits to Russia. While Washington’s mediating styles “might change on occasion, or the nature of the strategies might change,” she made it clear that “we remain within our posture of being mediators within this framework.” Bruce’s comments on Tuesday also came as the US President Donald Trump was hosting Canada’s newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House during which he said, they were going to discuss “quick end” of the war in Ukraine “because [PM] Mark [Carney] wants to end it as quickly as I do,” as Trump told reporters.  

The US President also discussed Ukraine peace with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyib Erdogan during the pair’s phone call over the weekend, according to the White House. When asked by Kyiv Post whether US mediating efforts had entered “new phase” following last week’s Minerals deal with Ukraine, State Department’s Bruce went on to remind that Washington had requested the both parties to come up with their proposals for an enduring peace, and that “we are looking for that progress” “It is reliant on the parties showing us that that progress is possible” she emphasized. Ukraine and Russia “must come together with concrete efforts and acknowledgements and ideas and strategies to end the conflict,” she said, admitting later that it would be difficult to get them to agree to cease the hostilities. 

US and Ukraine last week inked a lucrative minerals deal following two months of intense negotiations, potentially souring Moscow’s willingness to come to the table. As Kyiv Post reported earlier, senior advisors to Trump, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, believe that the minerals deal can be deemed as a means for pressure on Russia. The agreement created a shared investment fund with Washington having the option to earn credit toward their contributions in the form of military equipment, technology or training it gives to Ukraine’s forces.      

Source: kyivpost.com