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The United States may pressure Ukraine to attend peace talks with Russia scheduled for Monday in Istanbul, even if Moscow fails to provide its promised memorandum in advance, according to The Washington Post, placing Ukraine in an awkward diplomatic position.
The impasse over terms has left Ukraine with little room to maneuver due to its continued reliance on U.S. military and intelligence aid that has helped protect it from losing more territory to Russia's war, the newspaper reported.
Ukraine may face pressure from Washington to attend the technical Russian-proposed talks on Monday despite Russia's refusal to agree to Ukraine's demands for an unconditional ceasefire and advance sharing of negotiating terms.
Despite the lack of confirmation that talks will happen, President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, told ABC News Thursday that he expects them to proceed.
"Part of life is showing up. You have to show you're serious," Kellogg said.
The State Department has remained silent on whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio or other administration officials will travel to Istanbul for the talks.
Trump has expressed annoyance over delays in negotiations, and U.S. officials have repeatedly threatened to walk away—a scenario that would ultimately benefit Russia, creating additional pressure on Ukraine to participate.
Reuters reported this week that Putin's conditions for ending the war include a demand that Western leaders pledge in writing to stop enlarging NATO eastward—an arrangement considered unlikely as NATO would not want its membership policies dictated by Russia.
"It's a fair concern," Kellogg told ABC about Russia's concerns over NATO expansion. "To us, Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table."
Ukraine wants to join the alliance because NATO membership would protect it from future Russian offensives.
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