Trump makes it clear that deal to end Russian war in Ukraine must be made by Aug 8 – US rep to UN Security Council
U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear that a deal to end the Russian war in Ukraine must be concluded by August 8, and Washington is ready to take additional measures to ensure peace, Acting U.S. Alternate Representative to the UN John Kelley has said.
"Both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace. It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace," Kelley said on Thursday at the UN Security Council, convened at the initiative of Russia.
He also said that yesterday Russia launched more than 300 drones and eight missiles that hit residential areas of Kyiv, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 60. The U.S. representative expressed condolences to the victims and their families and noted that the United States demands an end to such attacks.
Kelley said Ukraine is a sovereign member of the United Nations, has the right to self-defense, as President Trump announced on July 14. The United States will sell defensive weapons to NATO allies, who can then send them to support the defense of Ukraine, he added.
However, he said that support for Ukraine's defense cannot be compared to the supply of weapons and materiel to Russia, which allows the Kremlin to continue its full-scale invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory. In particular, the DPRK has provided Russia with ammunition, missiles, military equipment and approximately 12,000 military personnel.
The U.S. representative said that such transfers and training by the Russian military of the DPRK violate numerous Council resolutions and pose a threat to peace and security in Europe and on the Korean Peninsula. Iran supplies Russia with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as other technologies, he also said.
Kelley added that China, as its representatives noted, does not supply weapons to Russia directly, but China has become a crucial factor contributing to Russia's military efforts, being the most important supplier to Russia. According to the U.S. data, in particular, China has provided Russia with significant quantities of machine tools, microelectronics, optics, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missile technology and nitrocellulose, which Russia uses for weapons.
Kelley said if China were serious about helping to end the war, it would have stopped supplying these critical components to Russia.