Return of Ukrainian ships is step towards peace – Taylor

At the same time, the U.S. stresses that the Russian Federation is clearly responsible for the conflict, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. William Taylor said in a statement.

“I congratulate President Zelensky and his foreign policy team for their recent accomplishments. Successfully bringing sailors and other political prisoners home; disengaging at Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote, and Petrivske; and, most recently, securing the return of the Ukrainian ships that Russia illegally seized are concrete accomplishments on the road to peace, and all Ukrainians have reason to be proud," the diplomat said.

According to him, the United States also welcomes the announcement of the upcoming Normandy Format summit and look forward to additional progress toward peace.

At the same time, he emphasizes that there are always some who will seek to divide Ukraine, especially Russia. “We must not listen to Russian disinformation," he noted.

"Some local media stories have implausibly alleged members of the President’s team sympathize with Russia or believe former President Petro Poroshenko started the conflict. Russia is clearly responsible for the conflict," Taylor stated.

The diplomat also assures that the United States stands firmly with Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and in Ukraine’s quest for peace.

On November 18, Russia handed over to Ukraine in the Black Sea waters the Nikopol and Berdiansk small armored artillery boats and the Yany Kapu tugboat, which Russian security forces fired on and seized on November 25, 2018.

The next summit with the participation of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia (the so-called Normandy Four) is to take place in Paris on December 9.

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