Bentdingfield was asked in a daily White House briefing on a statement earlier in the day by the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. A CNN reporter noted that Johnson’s office “said today that it would not accept anything less than the complete withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory” and asked: “President Biden shares this view that enough? ‘ “We will allow the Ukrainians to carry out these negotiations. “It’s not our job to start negotiations,” Bendingfield said. “Again, our role is to strengthen Ukraine on the battlefield, to try to strengthen Ukraine at the negotiating table by implying sanctions and costs for Russia. “But I am not going to prejudge or predetermine the outcome of this conversation.” Asked later by a Reuters reporter whether Russia should be allowed to retain control of the Donbass region, he said: “Again, I’re not going to prejudge the outcome of these negotiations.” The surrounding towns near Kyiv, Ukraine, remain under siege by Russian forces. REUTERS / Gleb Garanich An anonymous spokesman for Johnson told several news agencies on Tuesday that “we do not want to see anything less than the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.” Earlier in the day, Biden spoke by telephone with Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and German Chancellor Olaf Solz about the war in Ukraine, as Russia withdrew troops from Kyiv. resistance. Representatives of Ukraine and Russia are meeting in Turkey to discuss possible terms of peace after fighting for more than a month. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield insists Ukraine has full autonomy in negotiations to oust the Russians. NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP via Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that he was willing to discuss making Ukraine a formally neutral country, but that he would not agree to cede any land. “Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be guaranteed,” Zelensky said. “That is, the conditions must be fair, because the Ukrainian people will not accept them otherwise.” Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24 after recognizing as independent a pair of Moscow-backed separatist democracies in Ukraine’s eastern and predominantly Russian-speaking Donbass region. President Joe Biden spoke with European leaders about the latest developments in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.AP Photo / Patrick Semansky UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine without a territorial compromise. Matt Dunham Insurgents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared their independence from Ukraine in 2014 after protesters ousted pro-Russian Kiev President Viktor Yanukovych. Russia also annexed the southern Crimean peninsula from Ukraine following a controversial referendum in 2014. Putin launched this year’s invasion of Ukraine about a month after Biden told a news conference that the United States would have responded differently if Russia had carried out a “small invasion” that horrified Ukrainian leaders – a Kiev official told CNN. that “Putin feels weak” and can see a “green light” to attack.
