AMNA NAWAZ: Today, Ukrainian officials are meeting## with U.S.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff# and the president's son-in-law Jared## Kushner to continue negotiations over an# American plan to end the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner visited# Moscow to hold nearly five hours of talks## with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Today,# Putin said he endorsed only parts of the plan.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian President (through# translator): This was a necessary conversation,## a very concrete one.

We went through# each point again.

Sometimes, we said,## yes, we can discuss this, but# with that one we cannot agree.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, Ukraine is struggling# to hold key frontline towns in the Eastern## region of Donetsk that have been destroyed by the# war.

This is a new drone video from Myrnohrad,## where before the war there was a# population of nearly 50,000 people.

Ukrainian soldiers inside the city are being# supplied with food and water delivered by drone.## Putin reiterated today his argument# that Russia can capture militarily## the parts of Donetsk that Ukraine still# holds or Ukraine could hand them over.

With me now to discuss this and more is Ukraine's# Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna.

Thank you so much for being here.

OLGA STEFANISHYNA, Ukrainian Ambassador# to the United States: Hello, Amna.## Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: Before we jump# into the lates.. I want to get your response to the# report we just saw earlier from## Jack Hewson about this latest corruption# scandal President Zelenskyy is managing.

His right-hand man, his chief of staff, Andriy# Yermak, was among those ousted as part of that## scandal.

The question now becomes, did President# Zelenskyy know about this and look the other## way or did he not know what was happening in# his government?

What would you say to that?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: He reacted as a president# publicly.

He also demanded that the ministers## and everybody who were part of this process# are retired and subjected to a fair trial.

And also he had this dialogue# with Parliament, for example,## and it evolved in the decision to resign for# the chief of his office.

And this was also a## personal decision to him.

And I think, as# a president, he did everything he could.

And beyond that, and he said that if# there anything else will be exposed,## the reaction will be the same.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you well know, Yermak# was leading the negotiatin.. have heard from President Putin in the past this# repeated message decrying corruption in Ukraine.

Are you worried this corruption exposure will# somehow limit your leverage in peace talks?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Absolutely not.

So this is a domestic issue.

And this is a ca.. created by these government and institutions# and created by the demand of Ukrainian society.

And, in fact, while it has been the major# mainstream narrative of Russian Federation## presenting Ukraine as a failed state, as a corrupt# state, but, on the opposite, we have democratic## elections, we have a democratic and functioning# administrative system throughout the war,## which is not the case for Russia, because even the# war they have, our fighting is on our territory.

Without having it on their territory,# they are still a nonfunctioning country.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you now about# the latest on the peace talks.

Our own## Nick Schifrin has some new reporting that# he's heard from European officials that## the U.S.

is actually pushing Ukraine to give# up parts of that Eastern Donetsk region that## you still control, parts that Russia has# failed to win, despite 11 years of war.

Can you confirm that the U.S.# is pressuring Ukraine to do so?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Nothing evolved from the talks## in Moscow.

So, there's no basis# even for a discussion on that.

Just in a couple of hours, our head of delegation,# Rustem Umerov, nominated by the president,## will have a meeting with Steve Witkoff,# the special envoy of President Trump,## to discuss the follow-up and to hear# the readout from the meeting in Moscow.

But what my president have been saying,## that stopping on the existing line is something# that could really work to .. continue thinking onwards.

But at this# point, no formula is considered agreed.

AMNA NAWAZ: In this process of mediation# and peace talks, we know that U.S.-presented## peace plan has evolved.

The language has# changed.

Nick Schifrin has also reported## that the number of troops Ukraine is allowed# to have has grown from 600,000 to 800,000.

Are you satisfied with the text# of the U.S.

plan right now?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, the good# thing that now the dialogue is## really structured, is structured around the plan.

But also separately from the plan, there# is a dialogue on the security guarantees... AMNA NAWAZ: Right.

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: ... which includes also membership in European Union.

So all of this documents, all of these issues,# they should be counterbalanced.

And, also, we have## heard over the recent talks in Florida that ending# the war is only one piece of engagement of the## United States.

A larger economic engagement into# Ukraine is something of which is of U.S.

interest.

And this is also something# that really we care about.

AMNA NAWAZ: Is that U.S.# peace plan text final for you,## or are there still changes# that you want to see in there?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: No, it's not final, of course,## and we will be able to see what will be the# next steps only after the meeting today and## also after the head of our delegation# will report to my president on that.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned there's# a separate document that relates## to the security guarantees.

It was# reported today, I should put to you,## by the German outlet Der Spiegel that French# President Emmanuel Macron warned on a call## with European leaders and President Zelenskyy# he was worried the U.S.

will betray Ukraine## on the issue of territory, in his words,# without clarity on security guarantees.

This is based on a leaked transcript of that call.## And other European leaders agreed with# that concern.

Do you share that concern?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: We have been# betrayed many times.

We have been## betrayed in the middle of '90s,# when we abandoned all our nuclear## arsenal in exchange of security# guarantees that never happened.

And it was a mistake of many to think# that Ukraine is too weak to withstand## for itself.

And I think it's not# the case.

We're acting -- like,## our line is that we're acting in a good# faith, to the extent it is only possible## helping and backing up the effort of the# United States to secure a sustainable peace.

AMNA NAWAZ: In terms of that concern,# though, do you worry about U.S.

interests## or how they're negotiating or how they're# leading these negotiations?

This is also## on the back of the reporting that Steve# Witkoff was advising a senior Russian## official on how they should tactically handle# President Trump when it comes to these talks?

Do you worry that the U.S.

is actually negotiating# with Ukraine's best interests at heart?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Well, I think we all# collectively decided to give it a chance.## This is a totally new reality.

These are# different people with a different background.

So -- and we cannot really throw all the# responsibility for everything to one player,## to President Trump, for example, or# special envoy Witkoff.

He has his own## tactics when he's trying to narrow# the approach to think that having## discussion around the plan is something that# could work.

And we have to give it a try.

Meanwhile, we're negotiating with European# allies on the security guarantees.

We're## scaling up the capability to purchase# defense weapons.

And we're enabling## our air defense to be more capable.

So# everything is happening in parallel.

AMNA NAWAZ: Do you worry that the U.S.

will# lose interest the longer this process goes on?

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: I think it# has not been happening before,## because deeply inside the souls# of the American politicians,## everybody understands that it's good against# the evil.

This is not something which is right.

And I think everybody understands that if, in# the 21st century, one country attack the other,## and this attack, not only the territorial# thing, but also the war crimes, massive## tortures and rapes and abduction of Ukrainian# children, is recognized as normal just because## somebody is tired of paying attention to that.

I# think it opens the door to any other aggression## around the world, something that we were# not even able to imagine to ourselves.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Ukraine's# Ambassador to the United States## Olga Stefanishyna joining us tonight.

Madam Ambassador, thank you for your time.

OLGA STEFANISHYNA: Thank you.

Thank you, Amna.