The White House will not discuss the details of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine — including the status of Ukrainian lands illegally occupied by Russia —until a ceasefire is reached, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on March 24.
Bruce was questioned about the administration's views on these territories in light of recent comments by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who parroted Kremlin propaganda about the partially occupied regions in an interview on March 21.
"Is it the administration's view that Russia has a legitimate claim to these regions?" a reporter asked Bruce at a State Department press briefing.
Bruce declined to comment on the matter, citing ongoing "diplomatic talks" between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine.
"There's a lot of summits happening," she said.
"There's a lot of conversations happening, the supermajority of which I cannot comment on to you about those kinds of discussions or the commentary from which they may or may not have gleaned from."
U.S. officials cannot discuss the details of a peace proposal until there is "a full ceasefire" between Moscow and Kyiv, Bruce said.
"(U)ntil there is a ceasefire, that's when we can then discuss the differences in what proceeds after that when it comes to an enduring peace," she said.
Yuliia Taradiuk
Bruce's comments arrived as U.S. delegates concluded lengthy talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on March 24. The closed-door negotiations, which lasted for 12 hours, were expected to focus on Washington's push for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a potential complete cessation of hostilities.
The U.S. held talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia the previous day.
Ahead of the Saudi Arabia talks, Witkoff spoke to far-right commentator Tucker Carlson about "these so-called four regions," an apparent reference to the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
After failing to correctly identify the regions by name, Witkoff claimed that "there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule."
Witkoff's assertion echoes Moscow's justification for its occupation of Ukrainian territory — a justification the international community has rejected. Russia annexed the four regions in September 2022, following sham referendums held at gunpoint.
A Kremlin official reportedly told the Moscow Times on March 24 that Russia aims to cement its hold over the four Ukrainian oblasts during peace negotiations with the U.S.
The Kyiv Independent
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