US commitment to Russia-Ukraine talks reaffirmed amidst reports
The State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, denied on Friday reports from some media outlets claiming that the US would withdraw from mediating negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. She clarified that she merely reiterated an earlier stance, warning that this could occur if no progress is made in the talks.
What you need to know:
- The US State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, denied reports about the US withdrawing from mediation between Russia and Ukraine. She explained that her words, quoted by The Standard and Jerusalem Post, among others, were taken out of context.
- The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the US 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 US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on the platform X.
She referred to the statement by the Ukrainian MFA spokesperson, Heorhij Tychyj, clarifying the context of her words.
As reported earlier, on Friday, the media, including the Jerusalem Post and The Standard, claimed that Bruce announced at a Thursday briefing that the US would no longer mediate in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, suggesting both parties should agree on their own.
— We certainly are still committed to it and will help and do what we can. But we are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings. That it is now between the two parties, and now is the time that they need to present and develop concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end. It’s going to be up to them — such a quote from US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce appeared in the media.
However, Bruce clarified that this statement was taken out of context and merely confirmed a stance discussed previously. The Ukrainian MFA spokesperson expressed a similar perspective earlier.
Ukraine on the words of the State Department spokesperson: "Reiteration of a position"
On Friday evening, Ukraine's MFA stated, "The US statement on withdrawing from negotiations is a reiteration of an earlier position."
“I just contacted US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce 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 the Ukrainian MFA spokesperson, Heorhij Tychyj, on the platform X.
Therefore, although the phrase she used, taken out of context, might have been interpreted as a definitive withdrawal from mediation, the context of her remarks — including earlier ones at the same briefing — indicated that she was repeating Tuesday's warning by Secretary of State Marc Rubio.
