The US government is planning another meeting between special envoy Steve Witkoff and high-ranking Russian officials to win Moscow over to its vision of peace in the Ukraine conflict, CNN reports, citing an anonymous source. Witkoff has already met with Russian President Vladimir Putin three times this year as President Donald Trump tries to broker a ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow. The plan, which was reportedly presented to Ukrainian representatives and several European state and government officials at a high-level meeting in Paris on Thursday, calls for a ceasefire along the current front line, CNN reported. The US government has also signaled its willingness to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. Witkoff said during an interview with Fox News on Monday that the nearly five-hour talks with Putin “were very persuasive” and that the Kremlin seeks a lasting solution to the Ukraine conflict. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Trump’s envoy, accusing him of “intentionally or unintentionally spreading Russian narratives.” Kiev “will never recognize any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian” Zelenskyy said. Russia has declared that it is fundamentally open to peace talks with Ukraine, as long as its most important security concerns are taken into account. Moscow demands, among other things, that Kiev gives up its NATO aspirations and recognizes the “local realities.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that while “there are still no clear outlines of an agreement” Moscow values the “constructive and substantive” contact with the US.
US Special Envoy Wittkoff Heads Back to Moscow After Paris Peace Plan Talks
