© EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON Trump's special envoy believes in Zelensky's meeting with Putin.
The unique envoy of President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, pledged that he wouldn’t consent to a peace accord involving Ukraine and Russia unless Ukrainians are assured Moscow won’t resort to armed conflict again, as reported by the New York Post.
He mentioned that the U.S. has never attempted to enforce any specific viewpoint that Ukraine should accept. Instead, it supposedly “carefully considered the Ukrainian administration’s perspective” – regarding their capabilities, limitations, and the existing political flexibility concerning territories.
“No agreement will materialize here if Ukraine and its populace cannot be certain of peaceful coexistence after a genuine diplomatic resolution is achieved. The ultimate aim is a reality where peace is guaranteed,” Witkoff stated during a video address at the Yalta European Strategy Conference on Tuesday.
According to the special representative, this necessitates robust security assurances from the U.S., complemented by firm guarantees from Europe.
“And that’s what we endeavored to establish during the initial Geneva gathering — we devoted significant time to construct that kind of groundwork,” he remarked.
Alongside the government’s financial team, American personnel will “meticulously devise” a package of actions to secure prosperity: mechanisms for economic backing and restoration for Ukraine, instruments for drawing investment, and a structure for sustained collaboration.
Witkoff affirmed his “unwavering conviction” in the likelihood of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a pioneering move that would represent the most substantial stride toward ending the conflict since Russia’s extensive incursion into Ukraine over four years ago.
“We think we initially sought to resolve other problems and delegated the territory matter to the judgment of the leaders,” he clarified.
“Much remains to be done on the territorial question; we have to consider various concepts and countless possibilities. We are anticipating tangible results concerning the return of our citizens. We are concentrating on practical answers,” he appended.
Discussions between the U.S. and Ukraine precede the upcoming fourth trilateral session among Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow next week, wherein the participants will gauge whether headway has been made in planning a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky has consistently voiced his eagerness to engage with Putin to explore ending the conflict, but Putin has so far rebuffed significant openings for such an encounter.
Should the summit take place, as per Witkoff, another gathering is conceivable, possibly involving President Trump as well, though the envoy cautioned that “it’s premature to discuss” such a possibility.
“We will exert every effort to assist you in arriving at the correct decision, a fair and serene decision, to ensure that one day, everyone in your nation can reside in tranquility,” Witkoff declared.
Concurrently, the Kremlin essentially tempered Witkoff’s optimism: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cast doubt on the expediency of organizing a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
Peskov further added that a trilateral meeting featuring Trump, Putin, and Zelensky is only feasible once the parties are prepared to “finalize the agreements.”
On the fourth anniversary of the onset of the extensive conflict, the UN General Assembly sanctioned a resolution proposed by Kyiv, “Upholding a Durable Peace in Ukraine.” 107 member states endorsed it. The U.S., alongside China, Hungary, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Serbia, abstained from the vote.