Former ambassador to Ukraine warns against being hasty in peace deal with Russia

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch urged caution about reaching peace in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, arguing that Russian assurances should be met with some skepticism. 

Yovanovitch, who worked in the State Department for years and served as ambassador to the region during the Obama and Trump administrations, said in an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press Now” on Friday that Ukrainians are worried that in a “zeal” to bring peace, Ukraine’s allies will accept Russian promises that the conflict is over. 

She said trying to save lives is a noble goal, but any deal needs to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty is respected in the future. 

“If we just stop for a ceasefire, Russia wins because Russia has gained, illegally, territory that it has seized, and that is a problem,” Yovanovitch said. 

She noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated in the past that he will “come back for more” after the Russian military is rebuilt and he is ready. 

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula and annexed the region following a referendum that was internationally condemned as not free or fair in 2014. The Kremlin also began supporting separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine that year, well before its full-scale invasion in which Russia annexed those provinces too. 

Yovanovitch’s warning comes as Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed to meet with leaders from six African countries for an “African leaders peace mission” in Moscow and Kyiv, respectively. A timeline has not been established for the mission, but South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the two leaders have green-lit preparations to begin. 

Zelensky has insisted that any peace proposal includes full Russian evacuation from the territories it has captured, including Crimea. 

Yovanovitch said she does not believe Russia or Ukraine are ready for “comprehensive” peace negotiations, but she expects more than one country to play the role of mediator when the time comes.