6 months ago
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The White House said Monday (December 1, 2025) it was “very optimistic” of a woody being reached to extremity the Russia-Ukraine war, arsenic U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
“I deliberation the medication feels precise optimistic,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
She said that President Donald Trump and his squad “have been moving truthful hard connected this effort, and they each truly privation to spot this warfare travel to an end.”
“Just yesterday... they had precise bully talks with the Ukrainians successful Florida and present of people Special Envoy Witkoff is connected his mode to Russia.”
Mr. Witkoff, a concern person of Mr. Trump who has go his roving planetary fixer, met Ukrainian negotiators connected Sunday (November 30, 2025) alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and again connected Monday (December 1).
The Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the talks “achieved important progress” but that immoderate issues remained unresolved.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, portion trying cautiously not to choler Mr. Trump, has refused U.S.-backed calls for Ukraine to cede hard-fought territory that Russia has not been capable to seize.
A U.S. plan, besides presented to the Ukrainians a week earlier successful Geneva without their input, would person seen Kyiv retreat from its eastbound Donetsk portion and the United States de facto admit the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions arsenic Russian.
The United States successful crook would connection immoderate signifier of guarantees to Ukraine, but the steps would halt abbreviated of Kyiv’s ambition to articulation NATO, the transatlantic confederation that considers an onslaught connected 1 an onslaught connected all.
Washington pared backmost the archetypal program pursuing disapproval from Kyiv and Europe, but the existent contents stay unclear.
Mr. Witkoff has faced disapproval successful the past for his travels to Moscow, wherever helium has entered talks without the accustomed nonrecreational unit that would beryllium regular for U.S. diplomacy with the seasoned Russian leader.
The envoy volition beryllium joined successful Russia by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law who has helped spearhead his diplomacy connected the Middle East.
As Mr. Witkoff heads to Russia, Mr. Zelenskyy has been seeking enactment from European allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday (December 1) with Mr. Zelenskyy that immoderate program to extremity the warfare tin lone beryllium finalised with the engagement of Ukraine and European powers.
Mr. Zelenskyy for his portion warned not to fto Russia “perceive thing it could see arsenic a reward for this war.”
NATO overseas ministers volition besides conscionable this week successful Brussels for an yearly meeting, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is skipping the talks, alternatively sending his lawman Christopher Landau.
