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President Trump’s special envoy has indicated that recent high-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin may pave the way for a potential peace deal in Ukraine.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia last week for a high-stakes meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The two spoke for roughly five hours in a closed-door meeting, which marked Witkoff’s third visit to Russia since the Trump administration returned to office in January. Witkoff later described the conversation as “compelling,” noting that it took time to reach meaningful dialogue but ultimately led to what he called a breakthrough in understanding Putin’s views on ending the war. He voiced optimism that this exchange could lay the groundwork for a potential face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin in the near future.
What’s going on now: While speaking to Fox News following his meeting with Putin, Witkoff revealed that a proposed peace framework centers on Russia retaining control over five Ukrainian territories: Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Witkoff stopped short of explicitly saying the US would support Russia’s claims but indicated that recognizing Russia’s control of these regions could be the basis for a deal. “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” he said, adding that “we finally got an answer to what Putin wants for a permanent peace.”
He suggested the deal could also include broader terms, like NATO-related security guarantees and economic incentives, framing the discussions as “complicated” but potentially transformative.
Witkoff also hinted at potential commercial incentives being part of the equation, saying, “There’s a possibility to reshape the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities.” He framed this as a way to bring stability to the region beyond military solutions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by rejecting any suggestion of territorial concessions or outside negotiations over Ukraine’s sovereign land. “Ukraine is a sovereign state, and all territories belong to the unified state of Ukraine,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Odesa. “Only the people of Ukraine can speak about the territories of our state,” he added, warning that “it is a red line to recognize any temporarily occupied territories as not Ukrainian, but Russian.”
He further criticized US officials for engaging in discussions “outside their competence.”
