14:13 08.06.2021

Kyiv explains amended report on Zelensky-Biden call with wording clarification by U.S

2 min read
Kyiv explains amended report on Zelensky-Biden call with wording clarification by U.S

A report concerning the details of a phone call between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, which was published on the Ukrainian presidential website, has been amended due to a clarification of wordings by the United States, which is an element of standard diplomatic practice, adviser to the President's Office head Mykhailo Podoliak has said.

"The original report on the details of the conversation between the two leaders conveyed the common stance and atmosphere of the negotiations. It was precisely a matter of the atmosphere. The sides held consultations afterward. The wordings of statements on one of the most sensitive issues were clarified. This is an element of standard diplomatic practice, in which case wordings in the final report might differ from those in the original," Podoliak said in comment to Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

"There's no need to see drama where there isn't any," he said.

"This is merely a matter of the wordings that convey the oral statements made by the leaders in the course of their negotiations. There are always certain differences in the interpretation of oral statements and the way the atmosphere of a conversation is relayed and the official wordings are prepared. Especially when this is such a delicate matter as entry into NATO," Podoliak said.

There is a big difference between "the personal attitude of European and American politicians to the ability of Ukraine to take a seat in the alliance and the public rhetoric of particular institutions. We are perfectly aware of why this happens. We also feel rather calm about this phenomenon," he said.

At the same time, Ukraine is still waiting for "concrete steps, such as clear and logical actions and equally clear dates when it might receive a NATO Membership Action Plan," Podoliak said.

The report concerning the phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden, published on the website of the Ukrainian Presidential Office on June 7, has been amended. In particular, a phrase in which Biden supports the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and the provision of a NATO Membership Action Plan to Ukraine has been removed from the text of the report.

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