U.S. denies withdrawal from Russia-Ukraine mediation talks
The State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, denied on Friday reports from some media that the U.S. would withdraw from mediating negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. She clarified that she merely reiterated an earlier position, warning that it might happen if there is no progress in the talks.
What do you need to know?
- The U.S. State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, denied reports about the U.S. withdrawing from mediation between Russia and Ukraine. She stated that her comments, quoted by The Standard and Jerusalem Post, among others, were taken out of context.
- The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the U.S. position is consistent with previous declarations. Bruce's statement was a reiteration of earlier warnings by Secretary of State Marc Rubio.
"There's a lot of fake news out there. Here is the Ukrainian spokesperson highlighting the context of my remarks. Our posture has not changed on the need for the parties to deliver real progress," wrote U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on the platform X.
She pointed to the statement by the Ukrainian MFA spokesperson, Heorhii Tychyi, clarifying the context of her words.
As previously reported, on Friday, media outlets including the Jerusalem Post and The Standard, reported that Bruce announced at a Thursday briefing that the U.S. would no longer act as a mediator in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and both parties should reach an agreement on their own.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasized that while the United States remains committed and willing to offer support where possible, it will no longer take on the role of flying around the globe to mediate talks on demand, stressing that the responsibility now lies with the two parties involved.
Bruce, however, explained that this statement was taken out of context and was merely a confirmation of the stance previously discussed. A similar sentiment was expressed earlier by the Ukrainian MFA spokesperson.
Ukraine responds to the State Department spokesperson's remarks
On Friday evening, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the U.S. announcement regarding its withdrawal from negotiations was merely a restatement of a previously held position.
"I just contacted @statedeptspoxI and we confirmed that her comment regarding U.S. role as mediator came in the context of her similar earlier comment this week "If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators of the process." It is not a new posture, but one previously stated by US Secretary of State," wrote Heorhii Tykhyi on platform X.
Therefore, although the phrase she used, when taken out of context, might have been understood as a definitive withdrawal from mediation, the context of her remarks—along with earlier statements during the same briefing—indicated that she was repeating the warning made earlier in the week by Secretary of State Marc Rubio.
