‘Not imposing anything on Ukraine… Territorial issues could be solved through direct Zelenskyy-Putin talks’: Steve Witkoff

KYIV: Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told a gathering of the Yalta European Strategy here that resolving territorial issues in the Russia-Ukraine war could be left to a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

Joining online from Washington and touting a possible future trilateral between the leaders of US, Ukraine and Russia, Witkoff asserted that Washington wasn’t imposing anything on Ukraine.There have been reports that US has been pressuring Zelenskyy to accept the Russian demand that Kyiv give up the part of Ukraine’s Donbas region that it still controls. This includes a fortress belt of cities seen as Ukraine’s last defensive line in the east.“Territorial issues have been left to one side, and we are focused on providing strong security protocols for Ukraine and a prosperity agreement,” Witkoff said. The ongoing round of negotiation between US, Ukraine and Russia has seen three separate tracks on security, economic recovery, and political issues. Stressing progress, Witkoff said that security protocols for Ukraine have been practically solved. “We understand that Ukrainians need to feel this won't happen again.

We are looking at Nato's Article 5-like security for Ukraine where Europe is offering a basket of security guarantees and US will provide back-up.”Credible security guarantees for Ukraine have been one of the main sticking points in the negotiations with a European coalition of troops ready to deploy to Ukraine, but only after a ceasefire. Russia, however, has so far refused to accept any European troops on Ukrainian soil.

This has raised concerns that Trump is being strung along by Moscow in the negotiations. “President Trump is not naive. We keep trying to get the right peaceful solution.

We have good communication with all sides, including the Europeans,” Witkoff stated. However, even as Witkoff made his statements to Kyiv, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that a summit of leaders of US, Ukraine and Russia should only take place at the final stages of peace talks, pouring cold water on a quick resolution.