US to send envoy to Moscow to discuss proposals to end Ukraine war | Ukraine

Donald Trump said he would send special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss developing proposals to end the Ukraine war, but despite the White House’s optimism, there was little sign of progress on key sticking points.

The US president said the talks had left “only a few sticking points” but had made no progress on territorial control and security guarantees, dampening expectations for immediate peace summits.

“I look forward to meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the agreement to end this War is FINAL or in its final stages,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform after a day of talks in Abu Dhabi involving US, Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be willing to meet with Donald Trump as soon as possible to discuss the final details of the agreement. Ukrainian officials have said they are close to accepting the framework of the agreement, but some details can only be discussed at the presidential level.

But Trump said he would instead send US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to Ukraine for further talks. The official, who has suddenly assumed a central role in the peace talks, is expected to arrive in Kiev later this week, according to Zelenskyy’s private secretary Andriy Yermak.

In his speech at night, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian officials were working on “the text of the document” prepared in the previous round of negotiations in Geneva, and said that “the principles in this document can be transformed into deeper agreements.”

But there was no suggestion that the revised US-Ukraine agreement discussed in Geneva on Sunday would be something Russia would agree to.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said any amended peace plan should reflect the “spirit and letter” of what Donald Trump and Putin discussed at their summit in Alaska in August. Trump then concluded that Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Russia.

Meanwhile, Moscow continued its night attacks on Ukrainian cities. Russian forces fired 22 missiles and 464 drones into Ukraine on Tuesday night, primarily at targets in and around Kiev. Seven people were killed.

Senior Ukrainian officials have previously said they hoped Zelenskyy would meet Trump during the US Thanksgiving holiday this week to discuss the revised deal and talk directly about the territory. Russia continues to want Ukraine to cede the 30% of Donetsk province it has not captured, and Ukraine has said this is unacceptable.

A Ukrainian official told AFP the new US-Ukraine offer was “significantly better”. The revised term sheet increased the proposed cap for the country’s future military forces from 600,000 to 800,000; This number is close to the number of personnel in current active service.

“Our delegations reached a common understanding on the basic terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva,” Ukrainian security council secretary Rustem Umerov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

“We look forward to organizing a visit of the Ukrainian president to the United States at the earliest convenient date in November to complete the final steps and conclude an agreement with President Trump.”

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday evening that any talks with Trump should include European allies, telling 40 allies at a virtual meeting of a coalition of countries willing to contribute to post-war peacekeeping that “security decisions regarding Europe must include Europe.”

According to Keir Starmer, the issue of territorial concessions was not covered by the US-Ukraine agreement. “As I understand it, this is not a new agreement, Ukraine confirms that it is happy with the draft that emerged in Geneva yesterday, which of course does not cover the territorial issue,” the British prime minister told parliament on Tuesday.

On Monday night, Driscoll met with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, and talks continued into Tuesday. “The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll remains closely in sync with the White House as these talks progress,” his spokesman told Reuters.

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov was also expected to attend the Abu Dhabi talks. Financial Times reportedHowever, it was unclear whether there would be direct bilateral talks with Moscow’s representatives or separate bilateral meetings with Driscoll.

It is not yet clear who is in the Russian delegation. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media: “I have nothing to say. We are following the news in the media.”

European leaders are struggling to get involved, with US officials taking the lead. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has emerged as one of Trump’s main interlocutors among European leaders in recent months, said the coming days would be decisive in efforts to find a peace deal after speaking by phone with Zelenskyy and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte on Tuesday.

Stubb said, “Zelenskyy gave an overview of the latest situation. Ukraine will decide the future of Ukraine, and Europe will decide the security of Europe.” wrote In X.

Zelenskyy also met with Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron warned against a peace agreement that would mean “surrender” for Ukraine.

“What is on the table gives us an idea of ​​what is acceptable for the Russians. Does this mean that this is what should also be accepted by the Ukrainians and the Europeans? The answer is no,” Macron said.

The US plan initially consisted of 28 points and was based on discussions between Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev; reportedly with input from Ukrainian security council chairman Rustam Umerov.

The offer included Ukraine ceding territories occupied by Russia and other areas it was expected to surrender voluntarily. It would also limit the size of the Ukrainian army and grant amnesty for war crimes to all parties involved in the conflict.

Driscoll, a college friend of US vice president J.D. Vance, then traveled to Kiev to brief Zelenskyy on the plan and demand that he sign it within days.

The pressure, combined with the leak of the plan, took Ukrainian and European officials by surprise. Zelenskyy said on Friday that the country was facing one of the most difficult moments in its history and had to choose between “losing our dignity and losing an important ally.”

Driscoll later briefed NATO ambassadors in Kiev about the plan. One person who was there said it was a “nightmarish meeting” and that European ambassadors were shocked by the content and tone of Driscoll’s speech.

Washington later walked back its ultimatums, saying the 28-point plan was an opening point for discussion.