US Threatens to Exit Peace Talks if Russia Continues War

Acting Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations John Kelly said during a Security Council meeting that Washington is considering withdrawing from peace initiatives if Putin does not stop his aggression against Ukraine.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

In his speech, Kelly stressed that the United States is ready for constructive negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, but Russia's procrastination and unwillingness to cooperate may force Washington to reconsider its position.

"If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider abandoning our negotiating efforts to end this conflict. To be clear, in doing so, we will not abandon our principles or our friends. Rather, we will recognise Russia's refusal to cooperate with us to achieve the desired result," he said.

Kelly stressed that the US would support the peace process, but only on condition of honest dialogue.

‘We will insist that both sides engage in good faith in discussions on peace issues,’ Kelly said.

He also recalled the position of US President Donald Trump, according to which the United States wants to cooperate with Russia, in particular on the peace initiative.

‘The agreement that is being proposed now is the best possible outcome for Russia. President Putin must conclude the agreement,’ the US representative stressed.

In conclusion, Kelly called on ‘both Russia and Ukraine to make the difficult, historic decision to pursue peace.’

‘If one side proves unable or unwilling to do so, it will bear responsibility for the consequences,’ the US representative added.

Earlier, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that Donald Trump had issued an ultimatum to Ukraine and Russia on the need to make progress in the negotiations, otherwise the United States would withdraw from the peace process to end the war.

US Vice President Jay Deacon Vance called Russia's demands during the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine ‘too excessive.’ At the same time, he noted that the US would withdraw from the negotiations if it became clear that ‘the Russians are not participating in the negotiations and are not acting in good faith.’

As The Gaze reported earlier, US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that the US had received a list of conditions for ending the war from Kyiv, but had not yet received one from Moscow.