We are closer to peace than ever before, - Whitaker

Ukraine and Russia are now "closer than ever" to concluding a peace agreement, yet both sides refuse to compromise.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to RBC-Ukraine, this was stated by the US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, during a forum in Doha, Qatar.

In response to a question about when a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia would be signed, he said: "You know, we are close to peace. We are closer than ever."

At the same time, Whitaker recalled that US President Donald Trump believes that the current situation is "difficult." According to the ambassador, both sides are literally "turning up their noses" and refusing to compromise.

"It's not worth going halfway into a butcher's shop where they make sausage and complaining that you don't like it... As far as I'm concerned, we're all on the same page. With Secretary Rubio involved in the process, I am quite confident that all options will be considered, but at the same time, we need to find out if an agreement can be reached at all," he said.

Work on the peace plan

In addition, Whitaker confirmed that everything outlined in the so-called 28-point "US peace plan" has now been divided into four separate tracks. And NATO and the European Union are working separately from the peace process on the war in Ukraine and from the negotiations directly between the US and Ukraine.

"All these tracks are now moving in parallel, in real time," the ambassador added.

US peace plan

On Sunday, 23 November, negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations began in Geneva on a peace plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian delegation had already held meetings with EU advisers in Geneva.
Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the first results of the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the participation of delegations from the US, Ukraine, the EU, and the UK on the American plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov reported that the current version of the US peace plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine is in the final stages of approval and already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities.
Following the talks in Geneva on Sunday, 23 November, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Washington team would make "some changes" to the American peace plan.
The new US peace plan to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war was reduced from 28 points to 19.
On 25 November, Trump sent his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to meet with Putin. He instructed his other special envoy, Dan Driscoll, to hold talks with Ukraine in Kyiv.
On 2 December, dictator Vladimir Putin met with US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.