The special envoy of the United States, Steve Witkoff, declared that his recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin were “convincing” and focused on a possible peace agreement based on the “five territories” status, The Kyiv Independent reports.
Witkoff, who met with Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11, described the meeting as productive, stating that the Russian President expressed his desire for a “lasting peace,” although “it took us some time to get to this point.”
“This peace agreement pertains to these so-called five territories,” Witkoff told Fox News. “But there are many more. I believe we could be on the verge of something that would be very important for the entire world.”
Although Witkoff did not directly name the territories, he seemed to be referring to Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and the partially occupied oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Moscow declared the annexation of the latter four regions in 2022.
The envoy also hinted at a broader strategic ambition related to business incentives. “I see an opportunity to reshape the relationship between Russia and the United States through very convincing commercial opportunities,” Witkoff said. “That would provide real stability to the region.”
Some American officials have sounded the alarm about the direction of the Trump administration’s diplomacy. The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg are urging President Donald Trump to resist territorial concessions to Moscow.
Despite these calls, Trump is leaning toward Witkoff’s side, who claims that Putin is interested in reaching a peace agreement, the publication wrote.
According to Reuters, Witkoff told Trump that recognizing Russian control over the four partially occupied regions would be the quickest way to secure a ceasefire. This approach reflects the Kremlin’s demands and has caused concern among Kiev’s allies.
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