White House Envoy Witkoff Meets With Putin In Moscow Over Ukraine Peace Deal

White House Envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday after a whirlwind weekend of talks with Ukraine aimed at securing a peace deal.

All eyes on Putin like Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the President Donald TrumpThe son-in-law of the people and the foreign policy organization from time to time, they feel as if Putin would agree to the 19-point proposal concluded with the Ukrainian allies following the initial US-Russian talks.

The latest round of prozomacy represents the most effective push for a potential settlement since a full-scale attack in 2022, but negotiators agree that significant obstacles remain. Emotional disputes over the region, security arrangements in Ukraine, and the terms of the cease-fire have not been decided, and officials say progress will depend on Putin showing flexibility in meetings this week.

After the first program of 28 points Witkoff and Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev was viewed by Kyiv as very favorable to Moscow, we and Ukrainian officials went back to the drawing board. They met in Geneva at the end of November to work on a sort of definitive plan and over the weekend in Florida to hammer out more details.

Momentum is building in the Ukraine Peace Push, but experts fear Putin will not budge

Both sides say talks are underway but have not given details on where the issues still divide them.

“A lot of work remains,” the Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after the meeting. “But today was also a very productive and useful session where I think more progress was made.”

“There’s a good chance we can make a deal,” Trump said.

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Despite the momentum, the two sides remain deeply divided. Many of the most critical issues were left to a meeting between the top leaders.

Russia insists Ukraine cannot join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – even if Ukraine has its own constitution making NATO membership a national goal. In the original 28-point plan, Russia also demanded that Ukraine reduce its armed forces to 600,000.

European and Ukrainian authorities instead float 800,000 cap, according to financial times. Ukraine currently fields around 880,000 troops, up from about 209,000 before the 2022 invasion.

All eyes are on Putin as Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President of the President’s organization, asked if Putin would agree that Ukraine’s allies were finalized with Ukraine’s allies following Russia’s initial talks. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout / Anadolu via Getty Images)

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The biggest obstacle is always the country’s approval. A draft of the previous proposal suggested recognizing Crimea and large parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zapolizhia regions as RECRO Russian.

Compounding the process was the sudden removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Jeford of Castf and Supreme Court, Andrmak Wermak, who resigned after a corruption investigation led to an attack on his home. Yermak publicly insisted that Ukraine would not leave the world in peace.

“Not one sane person today would sign a document to give away a field,” said Atlantic magazine.

Putin said in late November that he was ready for “serious” talks but reiterated that Russia has the upper hand and will stop only if Ukrainian forces withdraw from the field and the lines reappear.

Compounding the process was the sudden removal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Jeford of Castf and Supreme Court, Andrmak Wermak, who resigned after a corruption investigation led to an attack on his home. (Ukrinforform / Nurphoto via Getty Images)

“If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this forcefully,” he said.

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Analysts say Washington still has levers it can use in negotiations, including strengthening organizations and increasing military aid to Ukraine. But many of the most powerful economic sanctions – such as sanctions on Russia’s superpower and financial institutions – are already in place, and the US has provided Ukraine with twenty dollars in military aid from 2022.

That leaves a small set of options when the expressions get to the point.

Trump has expressed frustration at the slow pace in recent days, saying he believes the decision “should have happened a long time ago,” even as officials indicate Washington is preparing to move away from rhetoric.