Ultimate goal of current talks is 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia – Trump's envoy Witkoff

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, has stated that the ultimate goal of the current stage of talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia is to achieve a 30-day ceasefire, during which the parties will discuss the possibility of a complete cessation of hostilities.

Source: Witkoff in an interview with American propagandist Tucker Carlson, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Details: Witkoff said the US is working on a temporary ceasefire which should serve as the foundation for further peace talks.

Quote: "The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire during which time we discuss a permanent ceasefire. We're 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."

Details: Witkoff repeated US President Donald Trump's claim about the alleged encirclement of part of the Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Defence Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have repeatedly denied this.

He added that aside from the situation in Kursk Oblast, there is a 2,000-km border between Ukraine and Russia where 70-90 clashes are going on, each one having different battlefield conditions and each "needing a separate conversation".

Witkoff said he is very optimistic about the US being able to mediate between both sides.

"We have narrowed the issues so considerably, so I'm optimistic," he concluded.

Background:

• Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that an upcoming meeting between the Ukrainian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia aims to "determine the parameters of the proposals for various ceasefire regimes currently under discussion".
• Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy on Ukraine and Russia, previously stated that during the talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian and Russian representatives could be placed in separate rooms, with the US delegation shuttling between them.
• The White House earlier announced that a new round of talks on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine would take place in Saudi Arabia on 23 March.

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