Washington’s representative to NATO said on Friday that Russia may never be prepared to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine, which Moscow’s forces launched nearly four years ago.
“The Ukrainians, I think, are willing to make a deal right now that’s reasonable and, under the circumstances, fair,” Ambassador Matthew Whitaker told a panel at the Munich Security Conference.
“But I’m simply not convinced that, ultimately, the Russians are ready to make a deal—or ever will be able to,” he added.
His remarks stood in contrast to those made earlier the same day by US President Donald Trump, who said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky would “have to get moving” as “Russia wants to make a deal”.
Trump is pressing to bring the conflict—triggered when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022—to an end, but US-mediated talks have so far shown no sign of a breakthrough.
Moscow has maintained its demands for sweeping territorial and political concessions from Ukraine — dismissed by Kyiv as tantamount to capitulation — and is pressing for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine has rejected any unilateral pull-back and is seeking robust Western security guarantees to deter Russia from renewing its offensive following any ceasefire.
