John Kirby. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will independently determine the conditions and time for possible negotiations with Russia, and the United States, led by Joe Biden, will continue to support Ukraine until the end of Biden’s presidential term. This statement was made on Monday, 16 December, by White House adviser John Kirby, commenting on Donald Trump’s approach to the situation in Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine”
Kirby stressed that the current administration adheres to key principles in its relations with Kyiv:
“Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. We will not negotiate without their participation, and we will not impose what their next steps might be,” he said.
According to Kirby, Zelenskyy, who was elected by the Ukrainian people, has every right to determine when to negotiate with Moscow and on what terms.
Support for the Ukrainian army
The White House official also stressed that the United States is doing everything necessary to ensure that the Ukrainian army has the resources to achieve success on the battlefield. This is about repelling Russian attacks and complicating Putin’s plans to prolong the war.
“We are helping Ukraine to defend its territories and make it impossible for the Kremlin to continue its aggression,” Kirby said.
“Putin needs not only shells, but also body bags”
At the same time, the White House adviser reminded of the vulnerability of the Russian military machine. According to him, despite certain tactical successes in eastern Ukraine, Putin is forced to seek help from North Korea by purchasing missiles, artillery shells and other weapons.
“He needs to buy weapons. But in addition to missiles, artillery shells and other weapons, Putin also needs to buy a lot of body bags. And I think we shouldn’t forget that either,” Kirby added.
Thus, the Biden administration continues to support Ukraine both on the battlefield and in the international arena, leaving the decision on possible negotiations solely in the hands of the Ukrainian authorities.
