US Presidential National Security Advisor Mike Volz, commenting on the terms of a future agreement to end the war and de-occupy Ukraine, said that one should “talk about the reality of the situation on the ground”.
“These are components of negotiations that happened earlier, in 2022. And even earlier. This will be a certain territory for future security guarantees, future status of Ukraine. We talked about the fact that, as the defence minister said at the NATO defence ministers’ meeting, that a permanent pathway to NATO or permanent membership of NATO is incredibly unlikely for Ukraine. And that’s not just on the part of the United States. It’s on the part of a number of others,” he told ABC News, commenting on the issue of a possible future deal to end the war.
Volz said Washington is talking to both sides to figure out how they can be brought to the negotiating table and use shuttle diplomacy to stop this war.
He said that the US should proceed from its own national interests when it comes to liberating Ukraine’s territories from Russian occupation.
Asked by the host whether Russia would get “Donbass in addition to Crimea as a result of the peace talks, even given that they invaded Ukraine,” Volz said: “We have to ask ourselves, is this in our national interest? Is it realistic?”
“We’ve talked to both Europeans and Ukrainians about this. Are we going to kick every Russian out of every inch of Ukrainian land, including Crimea? And what was the strategy of the Biden administration-as long as it takes, regardless of how long it takes, which is essentially an endless war, at a time when we are literally losing hundreds of thousands of people in a matter of months, and could escalate into World War III. So, we can talk about what is right and what is wrong. And we also have to talk about the reality of the situation on the ground,” he added.
Earlier, Mike Volz said in an interview with Fox News that Ukraine might have to cede some territories to Russia.