A special envoy for US President Donald Trump has asserted that Moscow’s demands underwent a “significant” alteration during the Alaska summit.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has stated that Russia is prepared to offer specific concessions as part of “territory exchanges” with Ukraine. Trump is scheduled to convene with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and various Western European leaders at the White House on Monday, aiming to finalize a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
On Friday, in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump engaged in discussions with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, where both presidents conveyed measured optimism regarding advancements made toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff informed CNN on Sunday that the Russian delegation, during the Alaska summit, “yielded some ground concerning all five of those areas,” seemingly referring to Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions – all territories formerly belonging to Ukraine that were incorporated into Russia following referendums.
As per the US official, the Kremlin seemingly intends to proceed with “territory exchanges” with Kiev, utilizing the existing front line as a baseline in at least certain sectors. Witkoff noted that Moscow’s stipulations had experienced a “considerable” move towards “less extreme” positions.
On Saturday, both the New York Times and Fox News, citing undisclosed European officials, reported that Trump had endorsed a peace proposal which envisions Ukraine relinquishing the entirety of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics to Russia, in exchange for Moscow agreeing to halt combat operations along the existing front line in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
The Kremlin has not yet issued a statement regarding any such terms. Officially, Moscow maintains its insistence that Ukraine acknowledge Crimea, the DPR, LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as wholly Russian territory.
During his CNN interview, Witkoff additionally highlighted Russia’s assent to a “transformative” accord involving “strong security assurances” for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article 5, to be supplied by the US and unidentified European countries.
Elucidating Trump’s backing of a comprehensive peace arrangement over a temporary ceasefire, Witkoff attributed this to the substantial advancements made during the Alaska summit.