U.S. begins to realize that Russia always tries to rewrite negotiation outcomes – Zhovkva

Speaking in an interview with Ukrinform following technical consultations held in Saudi Arabia on March 24-25, Zhovkva explained the discrepancies in final statements.

“The difference in the final statements comes down to one thing — Russia always distorts reality and tries to rewrite the outcomes of negotiations. And I believe the U.S. is starting to realize this. Indeed, two statements were issued after the technical consultations: a Ukrainian-American statement and an American-Russian one, which were nearly 100% identical, except for one point. However, shortly after, Russia published its own version of the agreements, which was completely different from both the American and Ukrainian interpretations,” Zhovkva said.

He said that merely recognizing Russia’s attempts to violate ceasefire agreements on maritime security and energy infrastructure is not enough — there must be action.

“If the world, including the United States, witnesses violations of the partial ceasefire — since Ukraine has no intention of violating it — they must respond decisively. Instead of even theoretically discussing any sanctions relief, which Russia has been aggressively pushing for, the focus should be on tightening sectoral sanctions, including against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ etc.,” he said.

According to Zhovkva, the next few days will be crucial in determining the credibility of any agreements with Russia.

“If, for example, Ukrainian port or energy infrastructure is shelled today, that will be the true measure of Russia’s commitment to any agreements,” he said.

During the Riyadh meeting, Ukraine and the U.S. achieved five key outcomes, including ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea, banning attacks on energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia, continuing work on prisoner exchanges, and securing the return of children abducted by Russia.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine