Ukraine wasn't officially asked by US to make territorial concessions, Foreign Ministry says
Ukraine has not received any official proposals for territorial concessions as part of potential peace talks with Russia from the U.S. or other partners, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said on March 7.
"We have not received such proposals," spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said during a press briefing, downplaying the significance of "certain formulations that could be heard in the media."
The Trump administration has said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to make concessions for a successful peace deal and called Ukraine's prospects to return to pre-2014 borders "unrealistic."
Russian forces continue to occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine's territory. The Ukrainian population under Russian occupation has been subjected to systematic repression, torture, and abuse.
"We don't focus on emotions or verbal clashes right now. Diplomacy does its work, mostly quietly, outside the cameras' reach," Tykhyi said.
The comments come ahead of a meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11, which will concern the framework for a potential peace agreement.
This would mark the first high-level meeting between the two sides since the heated exchange between President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance in the White House on Feb. 28. The clash soured the relationship between the two countries, leading to Washington freezing military and intelligence support for Ukraine.
According to Tykhyi, the meeting in Saudi Arabia will concern bilateral ties, strategic partnership, and a path toward peace. He reiterated that Ukraine is ready to sign a natural resources agreement with the U.S. but did not confirm whether the deal will be signed next week.
The deal's signing has been on hold since the televised quarrel between Zelensky and Trump last week. Bloomberg reported that the U.S. is newly linking the deal's signing to Ukraine committing itself to a quick truce.
Asami Terajima
