U.S. officials on Sunday expressed optimism that a Ukraine-Russia-weapon-weapon agreement could be reached in “Weeks,” with President Donald Trump soon expected to discuss the question with Russian colleague Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who met for several hours with Putin days ago, CNN told in a TV interview: “I think the two presidents will have a really good and positive discussion this week.”
“This is a very, very complicated situation, and yet we build on the space between two sides,” he said, adding that Trump “really expects there to be some kind of deal in the coming weeks, maybe, and I think that’s the case.”
But officials also strongly suggested that Ukraine will probably have to make some major concessions if an agreement is to be reached.
The United States suggested this week to stop in the fighting in the war after conversations in Saudi Arabia, where Kiiv accepted the proposal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS on Sunday that his conversations one day earlier with Russian Secretary of State Sergei Lavrov “promised”, added that “Hopefully we have something to advertise at some point soon.”
However, Putin has not given a clear answer to the US proposal, rather than indicating a number of conditions and raising “serious questions” over the proposal.
Mike Waltz, Trump’s National Security Advisor, suggested on Sunday that Ukraine is likely to have to give some territories to the Russians and give up any hopes for NATO membership in the foreseeable future.
When asked by speculation that an agreement may require Ukraine to give its southeastern Donbas region, much of it now under Russian control, and its NATO hope, Waltz replied: “This will be a kind of territory-for-future security guarantees [deal] – The future status of the Ukraine. “
He added: “A permanent path into NATO or permanent membership of NATO for Ukraine is incredibly unlikely.”
However, Witkoff said at CNN, talking about American recognition of Russian-held territory was “a little too early.”
Russia has long drawn a line against NATO membership for Ukraine, while Kyiv has excluded territorial concessions.
In a television CBS interview, Witkoff described future peace talks as “very complicated”, showing a number of challenging topics: an end to fighting along a 1,200 km (2,000 kilometers) border, Ukraine’s entry into Russia’s Kursk region, the fate of a Ukrainian nuclear reactor and Black Sea Port Access.
But he struck an optimistic note and said that while the situation in Ukraine was “much more complicated” than in Gaza, “no one throws their hands into the air.”
He added: “Everyone is committed, all stakeholders, including Europeans, to do everything we need to do to get to a successful decision.”