Pushing by President Biden's administration led to a softening of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's position that peace talks with Russia cannot begin under Vladimir Putin's presidency.
Politico reported this with reference to two sources familiar with the situation.
The publication emphasizes that on Monday, Zelenskiy indicated five conditions for negotiations, including those announced earlier. Among them are restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine, punishment for war crimes and reparations. Contrary to previous statements, Zelenskiy did not say that Putin would have to step down before such talks could take place.
This change, according to one of the sources, took place after several days of negotiations between Kyiv and Washington, in particular, after a personal visit to Zelenskiy's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
According to a senior administration official, US officials did not directly tell Zelenskiy and his aides to change their position, but conveyed that Kyiv should demonstrate its willingness to end the war sensibly and peacefully. The administration hopes that this will show the world that it is Ukraine, not Russia, that wants to end the war.
"That doesn't mean they need to sit down at the negotiating table now. We don't even think now is the right time based on what Russia is doing. But they need to show a willingness to resolve the conflict because nobody wants this conflict to end more than Ukraine," said the official on condition of anonymity.
The US National Security Council declined to comment for this story, but pointed to comments Sullivan made in Kyiv last week.
"The conversation we need to have with the international community in support of Ukraine is what are the conditions for a just and durable peace for Ukraine?... This is what we intend to pursue, this is what we will support, and this is why We believe that our collective efforts can help," Sullivan said during his visit to Kyiv.
During his visit to Kyiv, Sullivan also stated that the US considers the conditions on which the Kremlin is now, in principle, ready to conduct dialogue, unacceptable, because all talks must begin with the complete de-occupation of Ukraine.
At the same time, The Washington Post, citing its sources, reported that the White House is allegedly calling on Kyiv to show readiness for negotiations with Russia in private.
