James Chaterand
Laura Gozzi
EPARussian President Vladimir Putin will meet US particular envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, after the White Home stated it was “very optimistic” about reaching a deal to finish the Ukraine struggle.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has acted as an out of doors adviser in diplomatic talks, can also be anticipated to attend.
The summit comes after two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officers, together with Witkoff and Kushner, geared toward refining a US-backed peace plan which had been considered as beneficial to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as “constructive”, however stated there are “some powerful points that also should be labored by way of”.
Witkoff’s assembly with Putin might be throughout the second half of Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, in accordance the Reuters information company.
Talking after a gathering with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, Zelensky stated Kyiv’s priorities in peace talks have been sustaining Ukraine’s sovereignty and securing robust safety ensures.
Zelensky stated the “territorial problem is essentially the most troublesome” aspect of the peace deal, with the Kremlin persevering with to push for Ukraine to cede territory within the east which it nonetheless controls – one thing Kyiv has long-maintained it can by no means do.
Witkoff additionally held talks with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Zelensky and Ukraine’s new chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, whereas a number of key European leaders nearly joined the Zelensky-Macron assembly.
Talking on Monday, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the draft peace deal had “been very a lot refined”, including: “I feel the administration feels very optimistic.”
She continued: “However as for the main points, I’ll let the negotiators negotiate. However we do really feel fairly good, and we’re hopeful that this struggle can lastly come to an finish.”
Final week, Putin stated he had seen a draft peace plan proposed by the US, and that it might change into the “foundation” for a future settlement to finish the struggle.
Nevertheless, Kremlin officers later solid doubt over whether or not it could settle for the proposal after Kyiv and European allies stated they’d secured adjustments to it.
The initial US-Russia draft peace plan circulated in November sparked consternation in Kyiv and round Europe.
In addition to being closely slanted in direction of Moscow’s calls for, it additionally dictated how a number of billion in frozen Russian assets presently held in European monetary establishments needs to be invested, in addition to setting the phrases for Ukrainian market entry in Europe.
Talking on Monday, Macron stated there was presently “no finalised peace plan to talk of”, and insisted that any such proposal might solely be labored out with enter from Ukraine and Europe.
Macron stated the query of territorial concessions might “solely be finalised by President Zelensky”, and identified that questions round frozen Russian belongings, safety ensures, and Ukraine’s accession to the EU wanted to contain European nations.
The French chief additionally praised efforts by the Trump administration to finish the battle, which started in 2014 with Russia’s unlawful annexation of Crimea, adopted by a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s overseas coverage chief, stated this week may very well be “pivotal”, however that Moscow solely needed to barter “with those that are simply providing them one thing on prime of what they have already got”.
She continued: “I am afraid all of the strain might be placed on the weaker aspect as a result of that’s the simpler approach to cease this struggle when Ukraine surrenders, however this isn’t in anyone’s curiosity.”
In latest months Moscow has at instances appeared to interact with US makes an attempt to mediate an settlement to finish the struggle, however a number of of its calls for straight counter Ukraine’s sovereignty and are seen as unacceptable by Kyiv.
Whereas the query of territory is the foremost sticking level, the problem of safety ensures for Kyiv has additionally proved contentious.
Kyiv and its European companions are eager for Ukraine to be given safety ensures – similar to Nato membership – that may shield it from being attacked once more.
However Russia vehemently opposes this and Trump has additionally dominated out permitting Ukraine to affix the navy alliance.
The talks in Moscow on Tuesday come as Russian officers claimed to have captured the important thing strategic cities of Pokrovsk – recognized in Russian as Krasnoarmeysk – and Vovchansk in japanese Ukraine.
Ukrainian officers have made no acknowledgement that both metropolis has fallen to Russia.
In response to open-source intelligence tasks that persistently monitor the entrance traces of the struggle, neither Vovchansk nor Pokrovsk have but been totally captured by the Russian military.
