It is Ukraine's decision when and if negotiations should be started with Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said before the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Nov. 14, in comments cited by Interfax-Ukraine.
As there has yet to be a sign of goodwill from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin about an acceptable solution to the war, it is up to Ukraine to say what would be the acceptable terms, Stoltenberg said.
It is NATO's responsibility to unwaveringly support Ukraine in its fight against Russia because the only way that Putin may be willing to negotiate is if he thinks that Russia cannot win on the battlefield, according to Stoltenberg. Helping Ukraine's military is the best method of securing a lasting solution, he added.
The U.S. State Department denied reports that the U.S. has been urging Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia, Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Nov. 7, adding that "(A)ny negotiations...are up to Ukraine."
"We are not aware of any conversations with Ukraine about negotiations outside of the peace formula structure," Patel told reporters, referring to President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point plan for an end to the war.
Zelensky's peace formula calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from illegally occupied Ukrainian lands and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Alexander Khrebet
(Updated: )
