‘He’s not ready to talk, he’s ready to kill’ — UA’s U.S. Ambassador on ceasefire talks with Putin

Russia's behavior shows it’s not ready ceasefire talks, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told MSNBC on Jan. 3.

Markarova's comments came in response to the host's question about whether it was time to start negotiations with Russia for a ceasefire, given the recent powerful attacks by Russia, reports in Western media about Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's readiness for negotiations, and the fact that some "talks" between Ukraine and Russia are still ongoing, as evidenced by a large exchange of prisoners on Jan. 3.

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"Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin's words and actions are the best response to some people's hopes that he is ready to talk. He is ready to kill,” Makarova said.

“He kills many people every day. And we have seen this before. We saw it in 2014 and 2015 when Ukraine was ready for negotiations and did everything possible — and sometimes impossible — to regain seized territories through diplomatic efforts. And Putin used that time to prepare and accumulate all these missiles for these attacks," she said.

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Highlighting Ukrainians’ desire for peace, Markarova said that peace with Russia could only be attained through strength. She underscored Ukraine's commitment to securing its territories and the broader objectives of enhancing security and democracy in Europe.

"Despite all the noise I've heard in the past few days about Mr. Putin in some press reports — that he suddenly wants to negotiate — he is certainly not behaving like someone who wants to negotiate. He does everything possible to threaten Ukrainians, and that's why it's so important for the funding request made by the president to be approved," said White House National Security Council coordinator, John Kirby, at a briefing on Jan. 3.

During the same briefing, a White House spokesperson revealed that the U.S. could not provide more weapons to Ukraine until Congress approves the request for additional funding.

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