A CONVERSATION WITH HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE ANDRIY YERMAK - Russia has massed over 100,000 troops on or near Ukraine’s borders for months. At the same time, it has demanded negotiations with the United States and European powers with a view towards receiving legal guarantees that NATO will not expand any further and that there will be no deployment of NATO weapons on territory that joined NATO after the end of the Cold War.

Andriy Yermak is a key part of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts, including in conversations with the United States, and frequently engages with high-level diplomats at the White House and the US Department of State. He joined the Atlantic Council’s Ambassador John Herbst, senior director of the Eurasia Center, for a conversation about the current heightened situation along Ukraine’s borders. What role can the Biden administration play alongside its NATO allies in supporting Ukrainian sovereignty? How does the Office of the President of Ukraine interpret the outcome of this week’s series of high-stakes meetings? And what challenges does Ukraine see in dealing with this combination of Moscow’s ongoing war in Donbas and its threat of a major escalation?

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 01/14/2022