The United States steadfastly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continues to call on the Russian Federation to withdraw troops and military hardware from the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine in order to end hostilities in the region.
The relevant statement was made by the press service of the U.S. Embassy in response to an inquiry by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, UA:PBC, to comment on the statement by Deputy Chief of Russian President’s Staff Dmitry Kozak who said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland allegedly supported the autonomy of the occupied territories of Donbas.
The embassy noted that diplomats usually do not publicly disclose the content of talks held behind closed doors, at the same time, reaffirming steadfast support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders.
“We recall that the United States has consistently supported Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence in the face of Russian aggression,” the embassy said, according to a report released in Ukrainian. The diplomats added that Russia must fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements and work sincerely to end the conflict in the east of Ukraine.
“As for peace talks, it is clear that the main obstacle to peace is Russia. Russia started this conflict and is now fully responsible for bring it to an end. Russia must show serious and constructive participation in fulfilling its security commitments under the Minsk agreements,” the embassy said.
“We strongly urge Russia to fully comply with its Minsk commitments, withdraw its weapons and forces from Ukraine, and return full control of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders,” the diplomatic mission said.
