Olha Stefanishyna, who was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s ambassador to the US at the end of August, told DW that the meeting between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly was “the longest and most thorough” meeting the two leaders had had.
According to Stafnishyna, the meeting has a very wide agenda, including briefings on the military and economic situations, as well as the management of frozen Russian assets and a discussion about a mineral deal.
When asked about the unexpected change of Trump’s position, who stated that Ukraine could regain its territory from Russia, she answered that there has been a major shift because both sides have come a long way.
“President Trump had a meeting and phone calls with President Putin, who made a lot of promises and spread incorrect information. Steve Witkoff went to Moscow many times. It was a lot of different contexts,” Stafnishyna said.
The ambassador emphasized that Tuesday’s meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was about trust.
“I have a sense that President Trump trusts President Zelenskyy,” she said. “And it probably won’t be possible if all this hadn’t been happening before this meeting.”
The dialogue about the security guarantees for Ukraine is “going really well,” according to Stefanishyna. “My president says is that contribution of the United States to these security guarantees is really vital and important,” she said.
According to the envoy, in order to end the war and prevent another attack, it’s crucial to have something that would deter the aggressor “from even thinking of a new aggression.”
Stefanishyna said that the United States will determine its contribution to security guarantees once European leaders have decided on their role.
“Now that the US is getting on board, it helps the unity within the European Union to take the joint effort,” the ambassador added.
