We Are Eagerly Awaiting That: State Department

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, must prove the seriousness of his intentions regarding the resolution of the conflict in order for any progress to be made on the issue, stated State Department spokesperson Tami Bruce. Her words were quoted by RIA Novosti.

"If the President and the Secretary of State believe that Zelensky is serious, and we understand that we can move forward, then we will do so. We are eagerly awaiting that," Bruce said during a press briefing.

According to her, Zelensky's behavior in the White House, where U.S. President Donald Trump reprimanded him for disrespectful conduct, was a surprise to the American side. Subsequently, Zelensky, in Bruce's words, acknowledged in his correspondence that the situation did not develop according to plan and was not going well. By doing so, he demonstrated that he understands the seriousness of the issue.

The stance of the U.S. administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio remains unchanged: the goal of achieving a resolution is the same, while the situation in Ukraine is currently at an impasse, fighting continues, and negotiations are necessary for conflict resolution, according to the State Department representative.

After the debate with U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelensky attempted to apologize, stating that he regrets what happened and also declared his readiness to negotiate as soon as possible. Zelensky stated that he and his team are prepared to work under Trump’s "strong leadership" to achieve peace.

As a first step, he proposed the release of prisoners, a ceasefire in the sky—a ban on attacks with rockets, long-range drones, and bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructures—as well as an immediate ceasefire at sea. Trump had previously announced that he received an appropriate letter from Zelensky.