A peace agreement to end the Ukraine conflict is “not closer than ever”, stated the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Monday. In the lead-up to the upcoming phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, she discussed this at a press conference.
Before the media, Leavitt compared the negotiations to an American football game: “We are on the 10-yard line of peace and we have never been so close to a peace agreement as we are at this moment. And the President is, as you know, determined to achieve an agreement.”
Trump had previously stated that he would discuss the control of areas and the “division of certain assets” with Putin on Tuesday, as well as the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US.
Last week, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, had already met with Putin in Moscow. After the meeting, Witkoff told CNN journalist Jake Tapper that “the two sides are much closer to an agreement today.” Witkoff claimed that the US had “reduced the differences” between Moscow and Kiev.
Ukraine has supported a temporary ceasefire, but ruled out giving up the territories, including the Crimean Peninsula, to Russia. Putin said last week that he generally supports the proposed ceasefire, but the “original causes of the crisis” must be addressed and the ceasefire must not be used by Kiev to reorganize its military forces.