Witkoff told Trump that handing over four Ukrainian regions to Russia is key to ceasefire – Reuters
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivered to Donald Trump a "clear message from the Kremlin" that the quickest way to achieve a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine is to hand over the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia to Kremlin control.
This was reported by Reuters, citing sources, according to Censor.NET.
"Less than 48 hours after having dinner with an envoy sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington last week, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading negotiations with Moscow, met with President Donald Trump at the White House and delivered a clear message.
The fastest path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to Witkoff, is to support a strategy that grants Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions it attempted to illegally annex in 2022," Reuters reports.
Witkoff had previously expressed this view publicly, including in an interview with Journalist Tucker Carlson.
According to the agency, another Trump envoy, Keith Kellogg, was also present during Trump’s conversation with Witkoff. He opposed this scenario, stating that while Ukraine is open to negotiations, it will never agree to unilaterally cede full ownership of these territories to Russia.
"The meeting ended without Trump making a decision to change the U.S. strategy," the article states.
Divisions within the White House
In addition, U.S. officials, informed sources, and four Western diplomats told Reuters that disagreements are growing within the Trump administration over how to break the deadlock with Ukraine and Russia. Witkoff and Kellogg disagree on the best approach.
Witkoff has received some support from Ukraine-skeptical members of the Republican Party, but other Republicans were outraged by his proposals and believe that the Trump administration has "swung too sharply toward Moscow," Reuters writes.
"According to a person familiar with the conversations, some Republicans on Capitol Hill were so alarmed by Witkoff’s overtly pro-Russian stance during the Carlson interview that several people called National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to express their concern," the agency adds.
It was previously reported that Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Russia to hold a meeting with Dictator Vladimir Putin.
Witkoff also held talks with Putin’s special representative, Kirill Dmitriev, in St. Petersburg.
