US leader Donald Trump understands he must ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin's continued presence at talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, US permanent representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.
“President Trump knows all the cards he can still play. But he also understands he must ensure Vladimir Putin's continued presence at the negotiating table, as well as Zelensky“, the US diplomat said.
He declined to make predictions about when a meeting between Putin and Zelensky might take place. “Will it happen overnight? Most likely not. But I think we're on the right track and both sides are still negotiating and that's good," Whitaker said live on Fox News.
He was also asked to clarify how much more time Trump was "willing to give" Putin to prepare for a meeting with Zelensky before the US begins to implement possible new restrictive measures against Russia. "Well, of course, President Trump will give him as much time as he deems necessary to create the right situation," the permanent representative replied, without going into further details and explanations.
According to him, "Donald Trump created a completely different scenario, ensured the presence of Vladimir Putin at the table to hold discussions." "Are they finished? No. But the countries are still negotiating, exchanging prisoners," Whitaker said. "There's a lot of good news," the diplomat noted. "We all want this war to end. This is not Donald Trump's war," Whitaker assured.
The United States is providing Ukraine with weapons that allow it to strike deeper into Russian territory, Whitaker acknowledged.
"We are providing Kiev with some capabilities that allow them to strike deeper into Russian territory. And the Ukrainians will probably use them," the diplomat said. He did not specify which systems he was referring to, but mentioned Washington's plans to sell Kiev more than 3,000 ERAM air-to-air missiles, as well as NATO allies that buy weapons from the United States for Ukraine.
“President Trump has ensured, first, that Ukraine can continue to defend itself, including by providing them with some strike capabilities that allow them to strike deeper into Russian territory and, of course, that can help them on the offensive,“ Whitaker reiterated.