US bets diesel deal will bring Russia closer to peace talks — Reuters
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (photo: Getty Images)
Trump's special envoys told Ukrainian officials that the US-Russia deal allowing Russian diesel exports was part of an effort to bring Moscow back to negotiations on ending the war after previous attempts failed, according to Reuters.
Two sources say Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Ukrainian representatives at a meeting in Miami that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not ready to negotiate an end to the war. However, they added that last week's diesel deal could revive trilateral talks.
A third source said the United States had told Ukraine that the diesel deal could "soften" Moscow's position, partly because it "sends a signal that Trump is open to do things" with Russia.
"The idea was that the US could go back to Russia and say 'See, the Ukrainians stopped striking and we gave you this deal. Now it's your turn to do something,'" one of the sources said.
A source close to the Kremlin also said the deal "is a way to bring Russia back" to negotiations.
One person familiar with the meeting said the diesel deal was only part of a broader discussion about how to bring Ukraine and Russia back to the negotiating table and end the war. According to the source, they also discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, but details remain unknown.
Two other sources and one meeting participant said Ukrainian officials were skeptical of the US approach, which they viewed as an attempt to appease Russia through business deals.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Kremlin said Putin would return to the negotiating table only when he "gets the remaining 11% of Donbas, which he can present domestically as victory." Ukraine has said it will not hand over territory to Russia and that a peace deal could begin with freezing the war along the current front line.
Other meeting details available
Reuters reports that during the meeting in Miami, Kushner and Witkoff emphasized to Ukrainian officials "all that the US has done for Ukraine," including providing military and intelligence support to Ukraine's Armed Forces.
The Americans did not threaten to cut off that support if Ukraine refused to stop striking Russian oil refineries.
Part of the meeting, which lasted several hours, focused on Ukraine's reconstruction funds and the need for Kyiv to formalize its investment plans for the country, the sources said.
The Ukrainian delegation left the meeting without reaching a formal agreement. However, its members indicated they were ready to agree to an energy truce, provided Russia agreed to it as well.
