Citing sources, CNN reports that Steve Witkoff, who has reportedly already met with President Putin three times this year, is being tasked with reaching a Ukraine peace agreement with Moscow.
According to CNN, the Trump administration is planning another meeting between special envoy Steve Witkoff and high-ranking Russian officials to gain Moscow’s support for its proposed resolution to the Ukraine conflict. The information was attributed to an unnamed source.
Witkoff has reportedly already held three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin this year as the U.S. president attempts to mediate a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow.
CNN’s Saturday article quoted its source as saying that the U.S. plan, purportedly presented to Ukrainian officials and European leaders at a high-level meeting in Paris on Thursday, proposes a ceasefire along the current battle lines. The U.S. government is also said to be considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory.
Witkoff described his meeting with Putin in Moscow last Friday to Fox News on Monday as “compelling,” adding that the Kremlin is looking for 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.”
The U.S. official stated that any potential peace agreement would entail the recognition of Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions as part of Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Moscow appreciates the “constructive and substantive” contact with the U.S., while noting that there were “no clear outlines of any agreement yet.”
Zelensky criticized Witkoff’s statements on Thursday, accusing Trump’s envoy of “wittingly or unwittingly spreading Russian narratives.”
He reiterated that Kiev will “never recognize any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.”
Russia has stated that it is in principle open to peace negotiations with Ukraine, provided that its key security concerns are addressed. Moscow’s demands include Kiev abandoning its aspirations to join NATO and recognizing the territorial “realities on the ground.”
The Kremlin has emphasized that it will not accept a mere freezing of the conflict.
On Saturday, President Putin announced a temporary Easter truce, effective from 18:00 Moscow time through midnight on Sunday night.
He voiced hope that Ukraine would reciprocate, but also stated that the “Kiev regime has violated the agreement on pausing energy infrastructure strikes more than a hundred times.”
Putin argued that Ukraine’s response to the ceasefire would clearly indicate whether Kiev is serious about achieving peace.
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