On May 10, TASS news agency quoted Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov as saying that Washington continues to participate in the Ukraine issue. According to him, the assessment that the US is leaving this dossier is inaccurate.
Mr. Ushakov made a comment when answering journalist Pavel Zarubin of Rossiya-1 channel, regarding recent statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
I don't think the US is withdrawing from the Ukraine issue," Ushakov said.
According to the Kremlin aide, the US's continued interest in the Ukraine issue is reflected in recent phone calls between Russia and the US. He said that these exchanges show that Washington is still maintaining efforts in the process of resolving the conflict.
Mr. Ushakov specifically mentioned US President Donald Trump's ceasefire initiative. According to Russian officials, this is a proposal made by Mr. Trump and the Russian side has expressed its support.
In other words, the US is still continuing its efforts," Ushakov concluded.
The above statement was made in the context that Washington's role in the Ukraine issue continues to be monitored. In the past, statements from US officials about the possibility of promoting a ceasefire and seeking solutions to the conflict have attracted the attention of Russia, Ukraine and European countries.
From Moscow's side, the Kremlin believes that there is still an exchange channel with Washington, although Russia-US relations continue to be tense due to many disagreements. Mr. Ushakov's emphasis on the phone calls shows that Russia wants to affirm that communication between the two sides has not been interrupted.
However, there is currently no further detailed information about the content of recent exchanges, as well as the specific progress of the ceasefire initiative proposed by Mr. Trump. The Ukrainian side has not been mentioned in Mr. Ushakov's new statement.
The Ukraine issue remains one of the major hotspots in Russia-US relations. While Washington continues to face pressure from allies and from within regarding its approach to the conflict, Moscow believes that all diplomatic initiatives should take into account Russia's stance and security interests.
