U.S. Department of State: Donfried’s talks in Kyiv, Moscow, and Brussels were productive

“Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried returns today from her trip to Kyiv, Moscow, and Brussels. This trip was productive,” Jalina Porter, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, said at a briefing on Friday.

As noted, Donfried’s European tour was an important opportunity to reaffirm U.S. commitments to Ukraine, encourage Russia to de-escalate and pursue the diplomatic path, and to closely coordinate with NATO Allies and EU partners.

“While in Kyiv, Assistant Secretary Donfried met with the Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Deputy Head of Delegation for Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group Andriy Kostin. Dr. Donfried reaffirmed the United States’ support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and she also reconfirmed President Biden’s commitment to the principle of no decisions or discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Porter said.

In Russia, Donfried met with Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. During these meetings, the U.S. Assistant Secretary expressed strong concern regarding Russia’s military buildup, reinforced commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and also emphasized that any further Russian aggression against Ukraine would result in severe consequences. Finally, Donfried met with U.S. NATO Allies and EU partners in Brussels. She provided a readout of her meetings in Kyiv and Moscow, consulted with them on next steps, and also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to close coordination with the European countries on this issue.

As reported, Donfried's visits to Ukraine, Russia, and her meetings in Brussels were only part of Washington's broad diplomatic efforts on the Russian-Ukrainian issue. At the same time, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held talks with Russia, Ukraine and the Bucharest Nine. In addition, the White House and the Department of State consistently made statements in support of Ukraine.

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