US representative: The core question of peace talks is whether Ukraine gives up areas
US representative: The core question of peace talks is whether Ukraine gives up areas
The greatest stumbling block in the solution of the Ukraine War is the status of the Crimea and the four Ukrainian regions that are occupied by Russia. This was explained by the US special envoy Steve Witkoff and described these areas as "the elephants in the room" in the peace talks.
peace talks and territorial questions
In a detailed interview with the podcast host Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said that the US government is making progress "that no one would have thought possible", but still have to clarify a few questions regarding the territory. The four continental regions, which he apparently had to name, were illegally annexed during Russia's extensive invasion, and Kiev vehemently rejects any submission of these areas.
Current developments in the occupied areas
The Kremlin has organized the referenders for integration into Russia in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Cherson, who condemned Kiev and the international community as a propaganda measure. Witkoff, on the other hand, claimed that these votes showed the desire to separate from Ukraine. "They speak Russian," said Witkoff about the four eastern regions. "There have been referenders in which the overwhelming majority of the citizens stated that they want to live under Russian rule."
week of negotiations in Saudi Arabia
The talks are to be resumed in Saudi Arabia on Monday, in which US representatives meet with official representatives from Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff, who also works as a special representative for the Middle East, expressed that the "constitutional issues within Ukraine" developed into "the elephant in the room" during the negotiations. "The central problem of the conflict is the question of whether the world will recognize that these areas are Russian territory," said Witkoff.
The position of Ukraine
Last weekend President Zelensky emphasized that the Ukrainian position is "that we do not recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian". The United States addressed this topic during talks with Ukrainian delegates in the Saudi city of Dschidda. Zelensky expressed the hope that the question could be clarified during later peace talks instead of just concentrating on a first ceasefire. "It runs over a long period of time," he said.encounter with Putin
Witkoff was impressed by the “generous” attitude of the Russian president during her conversations and praised him as a “clever” and “simple -minded” conversation partner. Before meeting Putin in Moscow, someone from the Trump administration had warned him that he should be careful because Putin was a former KGB employee. Witkoff pointed out the intelligence of the people who used to enter the KGB, and remembered that he said: "Once only the country's smartest people were in the KGB."
personal impressions and future prospects
"I don't consider Putin as bad people," said Witkoff, describing it as "generous" that the Russian guide received him to talk in Moscow. This session "became personally", he said, and mentioned that Putin had commissioned a wonderful portrait of President Trump, made by a leading Russian artist, who brought Witkoff to the president.
Witkoff added that after the attempted attack on Trump in September, Putin said that he "went to his local church and prayed with his priest", not because Trump could become President of the United States, but from friendship. "Trump was obviously touched by Putin's history and portrait," said Witkoff.
WITKOFF also indicated that a solution to the war in Ukraine could lead to cooperation in a broader spectrum of topics, including the integration of its energy policy in the Arctic, the common use of sea paths, the cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and the joint delivery of liquid gas to Europe. "Who doesn't want to do a world in which Russia and the United States do good?" He asked.
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