A US delegation is expected in Moscow on Thursday for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin
RT: US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. © Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The
Ukraine peace talks have been narrowed down to a single unresolved
issue, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who said he would
travel to Moscow later on Thursday. The trip was later confirmed by the
Kremlin.
Speaking at an impromptu ‘Ukraine Breakfast’ on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Witkoff said he felt “encouraged” and “optimistic” about the progress so far.
“If both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved. I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” he said. “I think we’ve got it down to one issue, and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable.”
Witkoff
did not specify the remaining sticking point, but he had previously
suggested it relates to territory. Russia has demanded that Ukraine
abandon claims to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as
the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions – four territories that joined
Russia in 2022 following referendums. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has
rejected recognizing the regions as part of Russia, though he said last
month that a referendum on possible territorial concessions could be
held.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that Moscow and Kiev were “reasonably close” to a settlement and “at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done.”
Trump
met with Zelensky in Davos on Thursday. The sit-down lasted less than
an hour and was not followed by a press conference. Despite naming
Zelensky as the main impediment to a peace deal last week, Trump told
reporters that the Davos meeting was “good,” and that he hopes “it’s going to end.”
Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday morning that the US
delegation, which will also include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is
expected in Moscow by 8 pm local time (5 pm GMT), with a meeting with
Putin scheduled immediately afterward. He added that the talks will
cover the Ukrainian settlement and “other related topics,” but declined to comment on the progress of negotiations.
At a Thursday morning meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, Putin revealed that he also plans to discuss contributing funds
to Trump’s Board of Peace with the US delegation – an initiative created
to support Gaza’s recovery after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Trump
invited dozens of nations to join the board, including Russia. Putin
suggested using Russian assets frozen in the US for the contribution.
“We have discussed such options previously with representatives of the US administration, and a meeting and discussion on this topic is planned for later today in Moscow,” Putin stated.