Trump's envoys' visit to Kyiv and Moscow yielded no results — FT
A new diplomatic tour by U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Kyiv and Moscow did not yield significant progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. According to the Financial Times, the parties concluded that the war is unlikely to end before next winter.
In Kyiv, Witkoff and Kushner met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, representatives of his administration, and national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
According to the publication’s sources, the American envoys brought “few new ideas” and sought to revive previous proposals for a peaceful settlement while narrowing the differences between Kyiv’s and Moscow’s positions.
Kushner and Witkoff presented revised versions of previously drafted documents. Changes were made to reflect the situation that had developed after peace talks reached an impasse in February.
After the meeting in Moscow, which lasted more than three hours, Witkoff described the talks as “good.” At the same time, as the FT notes, they did not lead to a breakthrough in resolving the war, now in its fifth year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the publication’s sources, continues to demand that all of the Donbas region be transferred to Russia and is willing to end the war only on Moscow’s terms. He also, citing reports from military command, believes that Russian troops will be able to capture the remaining approximately 20% of Donetsk Oblast’s territory by the end of the year.
After the meeting, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the Russian president spoke of the Russian army’s “successful, tangible advances” in Ukraine, demanded that the “root causes of the conflict” be eliminated, and expressed confidence that Moscow would, in any case, achieve the objectives of the so-called “special military operation.”
Source: Financial Times
Talks took place in Kyiv between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and representatives of the U.S. president, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The part of Donbas controlled by Ukraine remains a key obstacle and the main “red line” in the negotiation process aimed at ending the war. Despite the visit to Kyiv by U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who brought updated peace proposals, the differences regarding the region’s future remain fundamental. Zelenskyy told Witkoff that he would not cede any territory to Russia under any circumstances.
Following the meeting in Kyiv, Witkoff announced peace talks in a Ukraine-Europe-U.S. format.
In addition to issues regarding the cessation of hostilities and security guarantees, the parties discussed the country’s post-war recovery and the mobilization of resources for reconstruction, as well as economic guarantees designed to prevent the resumption of war.
