Trump administration intends to dispatch another envoy to Russia, says CNN
Steve Witkoff, who has already met with President Putin three times this year, has reportedly been tasked with getting Moscow to agree to a Ukraine peace framework. According to CNN, citing an anonymous source, the Trump administration is planning...
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Steve Witkoff, who has already met with President Putin three times this year, has reportedly been tasked with getting Moscow to agree to a Ukraine peace framework.
According to CNN, citing an anonymous source, the Trump administration is planning an additional meeting between special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Russian officials to align Moscow with its vision for peace in the Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff has engaged in three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year as the US president seeks to facilitate a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow.
In a Saturday report, CNN's source revealed that Washington's plan, allegedly presented to Ukrainian officials and several European leaders during a high-level meeting in Paris, proposes a ceasefire along the current front lines. The US government has also purportedly indicated a readiness to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Reflecting on his meeting with Putin in Moscow last Friday, Witkoff stated in an interview with Fox News that the nearly five-hour discussions were “compelling” and that the Kremlin is pursuing a lasting resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Trump’s special envoy suggested that Moscow and Kiev “might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large.”
As per the US official, any potential peace agreement would encompass the recognition of Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions as part of Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Tuesday that while “no clear outlines of any agreement yet” exist, Moscow values the “constructive and substantive” communication with the US.
Witkoff’s comments, however, did not resonate well with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused Trump’s envoy on Thursday of “wittingly or unwittingly spreading Russian narratives.” He reiterated that Kiev will “never recognize any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.”
Russia has stated its openness to informal peace discussions with Ukraine, provided that its major security concerns are addressed, including demands for Kiev to abandon its NATO aspirations and acknowledge the territorial “realities on the ground.”
The Kremlin has made it clear that it will not settle for merely freezing the conflict.
On Saturday, President Putin announced a temporary Easter truce scheduled to take effect from 18:00 Moscow time through midnight on Sunday. While expressing hope for a reciprocal gesture from Ukraine, he noted that the “Kiev regime has violated the agreement on pausing energy infrastructure strikes more than a hundred times.” Putin asserted that Ukraine’s response to the ceasefire would serve as a clear indication of whether Kiev genuinely seeks peace.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
According to CNN, citing an anonymous source, the Trump administration is planning an additional meeting between special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Russian officials to align Moscow with its vision for peace in the Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff has engaged in three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year as the US president seeks to facilitate a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow.
In a Saturday report, CNN's source revealed that Washington's plan, allegedly presented to Ukrainian officials and several European leaders during a high-level meeting in Paris, proposes a ceasefire along the current front lines. The US government has also purportedly indicated a readiness to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Reflecting on his meeting with Putin in Moscow last Friday, Witkoff stated in an interview with Fox News that the nearly five-hour discussions were “compelling” and that the Kremlin is pursuing a lasting resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Trump’s special envoy suggested that Moscow and Kiev “might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large.”
As per the US official, any potential peace agreement would encompass the recognition of Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions as part of Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Tuesday that while “no clear outlines of any agreement yet” exist, Moscow values the “constructive and substantive” communication with the US.
Witkoff’s comments, however, did not resonate well with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who accused Trump’s envoy on Thursday of “wittingly or unwittingly spreading Russian narratives.” He reiterated that Kiev will “never recognize any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.”
Russia has stated its openness to informal peace discussions with Ukraine, provided that its major security concerns are addressed, including demands for Kiev to abandon its NATO aspirations and acknowledge the territorial “realities on the ground.”
The Kremlin has made it clear that it will not settle for merely freezing the conflict.
On Saturday, President Putin announced a temporary Easter truce scheduled to take effect from 18:00 Moscow time through midnight on Sunday. While expressing hope for a reciprocal gesture from Ukraine, he noted that the “Kiev regime has violated the agreement on pausing energy infrastructure strikes more than a hundred times.” Putin asserted that Ukraine’s response to the ceasefire would serve as a clear indication of whether Kiev genuinely seeks peace.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
