US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the press: “It looks like the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory. The only regional capital that Russia captured in this war is now back under the Ukrainian flag, which is pretty cool.”
Sullivan said the withdrawal of Russian forces would have “wider strategic implications,” including mitigating the long-term threat posed by Russia to other cities in southern Ukraine, such as Odessa.
“This is a great moment, and it is the result of astonishing persistence and skill on the part of the Ukrainians, with the unified and continuous support of the United States and our allies,” he added.
In response to a question about reports that the administration of US President Joe Biden has begun to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to push him to consider negotiations with Moscow, Sullivan said that it is Russia, not Ukraine, that should decide to sit at the negotiating table.
“Ukraine is the party to peace in this conflict, and Russia is the party to the war. Russia has invaded Ukraine. If Russia chooses to stop fighting in Ukraine and leave, that will be the end of the war. If Ukraine chooses to stop fighting and surrender, that will be the end of Ukraine.”
And he added: “In this context, our position remains the same as it was in the past through close consultation and support of President Zelensky.”
The Kherson region borders Crimea in the Black Sea and provides Moscow with a land bridge link with the peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The restoration of Kyiv’s control over large areas of the Kherson region would deprive Moscow of this land corridor.
It would also mean the approach of Ukrainian long-range artillery to Crimea, which Moscow considers vital to its interests.
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