Peace first, not ceasefire: Witkoff explains why Trump changes his position on Ukraine
Photo: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has changed his position on Ukraine and is now working directly on a peace agreement. This was prompted by “significant progress” in negotiations with Russia, CNN reports.
On the night of August 16, a meeting took place in Alaska between Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. The key topic was the war in Ukraine.
According to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the significant progress achieved during the summit prompted Trump to abandon his push for an immediate ceasefire and instead work on advancing a broader peace agreement.
"We made so much progress at this meeting with regard to all the other ingredients necessary for a peace deal that we, that President Trump pivoted to that place," Witkoff said.
The US Special Envoy added again that there is now momentum toward a broader peace agreement that would eliminate the need for an immediate ceasefire.
"We are intent on trying to hammer out a peace deal that ends the fighting permanently very, very quickly. Quicker than a ceasefire. We cut through all kinds of issues that would have to be discussed and agreed to during a ceasefire," Witkoff said.
The US Special Envoy also noted that the Russian side went further in softening its positions than in previous meetings.
"For the first time, we are seeing accommodation more than we’ve seen in the past, certainly more than we saw in the last administration. That’s encouraging. Now we have to build on that, and we have to get a deal for the Ukrainians," Witkoff summarized.
What else Witkoff says
In an interview with CNN, US Special Envoy made several other statements.
In particular, Witkoff said that Russia had agreed to US security guarantees for Ukraine, and that Moscow will legally codify its commitment not to attack European countries.
US Special Envoy also stated that Russia allegedly made concessions to Ukraine regarding five regions, but did not provide specifics, only noting that Russia agrees “not to occupy all of Ukraine.”
In addition, Witkoff announced that tomorrow, during a meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the so-called territorial concessions will be discussed.
