Ukraine is working more closely with the United States while Russian President Vladimir Putin is "taking a standoff position," Andrij Dobriansky, a representative of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, said on Newsmax Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week traveled to Florida to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss a 20-point peace plan.
Zelenskyy lauded "strong security guarantees" from the U.S. and said he and Trump are 90% agreed on a plan, adding that they called territorial issues like the Donbas a "very tough question." Meanwhile, Moscow has shown no signs of budging on its territorial demands.
"I think what this meeting represents is the different ways that both Ukraine and Russia have taken to President Trump," Dobriansky told Newsmax's "National Report."
"We've had two major clashes with both leaders, one in February with President Zelenskyy and one in August when President Putin came to Alaska. Both of them angered President Trump. What you saw out of Ukraine is picking themselves up and within a week's time, changing their strategy and getting a minerals deal with President Trump.
"And every time that President Trump has asked for a modification from Ukraine, Ukraine has come back to the table and said, we will work with you on this," he added.
But there hasn't been a change from Putin, he told Newsmax.
"And that's the thing that President Trump has identified. ... Ukraine is working closer and closer with the United States and President Trump. And Russia, it seems, is taking a standoff position, not budging at all on anything."
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a "productive call" with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine "to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process."
Lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov also reaffirmed that European and Ukrainian officials plan to meet Saturday, while Zelenskyy is due to hold talks next week with European leaders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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