Witkoff to travel to Geneva for talks with Ukraine's security council chief
Photo: Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy (Getty Images)
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Geneva this week. In particular, he is set to meet there with the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Witkoff said, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
He said that he would arrive in Geneva with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the American leader, on Thursday, with their departure scheduled for late Wednesday night.
According to Witkoff, the main goal of the trip is negotiations with the Iranian representatives to resolve tensions between the countries through diplomatic means. However, he added that he had spoken with Umerov, with whom he communicates almost daily, and had asked him to obtain permission from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a meeting in Geneva.
The Special Envoy clarified that the purpose of such a meeting is to continue the dialogue and explore various options for concluding a peace agreement.
Witkoff also added that after that, Umerov may visit Florida. He noted that a trilateral meeting could take place between the Ukrainian delegation, the Russian delegation, and him, along with Jared Kushner and their teams, likely within the next 10 days.
Updated at 10:20 p.m.
An informed source told RBC-Ukraine that a bilateral meeting between the representatives of Ukraine and the United States will take place in Geneva. Witkoff and Umerov will participate. Other representatives of the two countries are likely to join them.
Peace negotiations
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have already held three rounds of peace talks. The main result was a prisoner exchange, which made it possible to return 157 Ukrainians home.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, there has been progress on the military track, as the sides are working constructively.
At the same time, there are difficulties in the political part of the negotiations, as no compromise has been reached on the issue of territories. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine hand over full control of the Donbas. Ukraine, however, refuses to make such concessions.
