Irina Nesterova10:10, 18.03.25

This message appeared against the backdrop of preparations for a conversation between the presidents of the United States and Russia.

US President Donald Trump may agree to hand over the Odessa port to Russia, The New York Times reports, citing “assistants to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.”

“Aides to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month they were concerned that Mr. Trump might accommodate other desires of Mr. Putin for parts of Ukraine, possibly including the critical port of Odessa,” the publication says.

This message appeared against the backdrop of preparations for a conversation between the presidents of the United States and Russia, which will take place on Tuesday, March 18, and during which, as reported, the issue of territories will be discussed.

The publication recalled that during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One while returning from Florida on Sunday evening, Trump “made it clear that his planned phone call with Mr. Putin on Tuesday would focus on what lands and assets Russia would retain in the event of a cease-fire with Ukraine.”

“White House aides have made it clear that Russia will definitely keep Crimea – in one of history’s strange twists, the site of the week-long Yalta Conference in February 1945 – and have strongly suggested that it will get almost all the territory it holds,” the NYT writes.

It also says the US administration “has made it clear that it expects Russia to control the territory that its troops already control, which is about 20 percent of Ukraine.”

Journalists tried to find out about possible concessions to Russia from the US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. However, he said that he expected pragmatic negotiations with Russia and rejected any discussion about whether Russia would be rewarded for its aggression. In his recent speeches, Waltz took the position that “the most important outcome of the negotiations should be an end to the killing after three years of brutal war with trenches and drones.”

The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, commented on the NYT publication, assuring that “no one can hand over any port to Russia.”

“Again, some unknown sources, insider information, hype. As I said, there is a lot of this and there will be a lot more of it in the future. But such rumors mostly have nothing in common with reality,” Kovalenko noted.

(C)UNIAN 2025