U.S. State Department avoided answering question of recognizing Ukraine’s TOT as Russian: Trump administration will not speculate
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce avoided a direct answer to the question of possible international recognition of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, namely Crimea and parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and the left bank of Kherson region as part of the Russian Federation.
According to Censor.NET, Bruce said this during a briefing.
When asked by a journalist about the recognition of the TOT and Crimea as Russian, Tammy Bruce said that "the administration (of the US President - ed.) will not speculate" on the issue of diplomatic processes.
"We understand that we have one thing in front of us that everybody is doing, and that is to ensure peace in this region, in these two countries, which are even more than in the region, in the whole world. And this is a unique thing that is being worked on in Saudi Arabia. This is the only thing the president is focused on," Bruce said.
According to the spokesperson, there have been "significant changes" in diplomatic contacts between the United States, Ukraine and Russia, and therefore it is necessary to focus on them. The issue of recognizing the territories is a "distraction," she added.
She emphasized that the United States and its partners are now focused on achieving a complete ceasefire. According to her, only after that will it be possible to discuss further steps, including a lasting peace.
"So, that's what we're dealing with in that regard, and I think it's just a reminder that until there's a ceasefire - a full ceasefire, that's when - as the President and certainly the Secretary has indicated, that until there's a ceasefire, that's when we can discuss the differences in what happens after that when it comes to lasting peace," Bruce added.
Vitkoff's statements about "referendums"
Earlier, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said that the biggest issue in this war is "the so-called four regions: Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk and two more. These territories are Russian-speaking, and referendums were held there, where the majority of people voted in favor of being under Russian rule."
Later, Witkoff clarified his statement about the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and the "referendums" held there.
The Russian delegation at the talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia demanded to take control of the entire territory of four regions of Ukraine - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
