Witkoff: Ultimate goal of ongoing talks is 30-day ceasefire to negotiate permanent truce
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said that the objective of the current peace negotiations between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia is to secure an interim 30-day ceasefire, during which the parties will discuss a permanent cessation of hostilities.
He said this in an interview with American blogger and host Tucker Carlson, as reported by Ukrinform.
"The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire, during which time we discuss a permanent ceasefire. We are not far away from that, but a 30-day ceasefire is something where we have to figure out what all the battlefield conditions are. Which is why I began with Kursk," Witkoff said.
He also reiterated Russian claims that a group of Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region is allegedly surrounded.
Additionally, Witkoff argued that the recent conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was not unsuccessful, as Russia had supposedly agreed to an energy infrastructure ceasefire.
"This means Russia is not going to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and Ukraine will not target Russia's energy infrastructure. They've talked about that before. Here we're talking about that. They've never talked about reinstating the Black Sea moratorium on maritime hits -- Ukraine firing on Russian ships and Russia firing on Ukrainian ships," he said.
Witkoff acknowledged ongoing clashes on the front line, emphasizing the need for both Ukrainian and Russian sides to negotiate terms for halting hostilities.
He also noted that technical working groups are set to convene in Jeddah starting Monday.
"There's all kinds of good positive talk coming out of Russia about their willingness to consider all of these different things. And Zelensky had a wonderful conversation with President [Trump] after President Putin's conversation the next day. And I think that indicates that they've got some degree of flexibility in the way that they've been thinking about finishing up this conflict," Witkoff added.
He said he did not want to sound like a "forever optimist" but added that he was very optimistic that the U.S. is going to bring the two sides together.
Witkoff noted that the U.S. is oriented at the outcome of the negotiations and a deal that the Ukrainian people can live with.
"I want to see Ukraine come out of it. I want to see Russia come out of it. There's going to be various Senate approvals that we may need here. And that's the political system we're in. We want everybody to be, in some respect, satisfied. […] When I say satisfied, feeling that we came out of this thing, okay, with a deal that everybody can live with," Witkoff said.
He also mentioned that a meeting between Trump and Putin could take place within the next few months.
On March 11, delegations from the U.S. and Ukraine met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept the U.S. proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, provided that Russia adheres to it simultaneously.
On March 13, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow, where he met with President Putin. The Kremlin stated that Putin had conveyed "additional information and signals" to Trump through Witkoff.
On Tuesday, March 18, President Trump held a phone conversation with Putin. The White House later announced that Moscow had agreed to a limited ceasefire concerning energy and infrastructure targets in Ukraine.
On March 19, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the U.S. administration, Trump reiterated his commitment to achieving lasting peace in Ukraine.
Photo: ©EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW