Steve Witkoff names main task of 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine
US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff (photo: Getty Images)
The result of the current stage of negotiations between Ukraine and the US is the establishment of a temporary ceasefire for 30 days, during which the parties will discuss a permanent ceasefire, states US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
"The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire during which time we discuss a permanent ceasefire. We're not far away from that, but a 30-day ceasefire is something where we have to figure out what all the battlefield conditions are, which is why I began with Kursk," he said.
The special envoy denied reports about an unsuccessful conversation between Trump and Putin. He called the agreement between Ukraine and Russia to halt strikes on energy infrastructure a big step forward.
"They've never talked about that before. Here we are talking about that. They've never talked about reinstituting the Black Sea moratorium on maritime hits. TNow, we're down to, and that's going to be implemented over the next week or so. There's some details that need to be discussed, but that became a part of that conversation. That's big stuff, really big stuff," said Witkoff.
He also reiterated US President Donald Trump’s message regarding the alleged encirclement of some Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, which was denied by President Zelenskyy, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense.
The special envoy also added that, aside from the situation in the Kursk region, there is a border between Ukraine and Russia that spans two thousand kilometers. According to him, on this border, 50-80 skirmishes occur one way or another, and the conditions for their cessation need to be discussed.
"Our technical teams are going to be meeting in Jeddah beginning Monday. That's a big deal. There's all kinds of good positive talk coming out of Russia about their willingness to consider all of these different things. And Zelensky had a wonderful conversation with the president after President Putin's conversation the next day. And I think that indicates that they've got some degree of flexibility in the way that they've been thinking about finishing up this conflict," said Witkoff.
The special envoy noted that he doesn't want to come across as an eternal optimist, but he remains very optimistic about the US being able to reconcile both sides.
"So I am not to sound like a forever optimist, but I am very, very optimistic that we're going to be able to bring the two sides together. We have narrowed the issues so considerably, so I'm optimistic," he concluded.
Ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
After taking office, US President Donald Trump initiated an active negotiation process to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
On March 18, Trump held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the leaders agreed on the first steps toward peace.
During the conversation, Putin effectively rejected the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire along the entire front line. Instead, Putin proposed that Ukraine and Russia stop attacking energy and infrastructure targets.
At the same time, Putin stated that during the ceasefire, Ukraine should halt mobilization, and Western countries should cease providing military aid and intelligence support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The next day, March 19, Trump held a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During the conversation, Zelenskyy agreed to halt attacks on Russia's energy and infrastructure but emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would respond in kind if the Russians violated these agreements.
On Monday, March 24, US and Russian delegations will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the expansion of the partial ceasefire.
