The Russian president expresses concerns that the Ukrainian troops would violate a ceasefire, Steve Witkoff claimed
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin raised concerns that Ukrainian troops may not respect a potential truce.
In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson published on Friday evening, Witkoff shared some details from his meeting with Putin that took place on March 13 in Moscow. Witkoff traveled to the Russian capital as part of Trump’s shuttle diplomacy aimed at mediating an end to the Ukraine conflict.
“There are conditions that the Russians will need for an ultimate ceasefire because an ultimate ceasefire is complicated,” Witkoff told Carlson.
According to the diplomat, one of the pressing issues is the Ukrainian troops occupying a small part of Russia’s internationally recognized territory in the Kursk Region. In recent weeks, the Russian army liberated a significant chunk of land previously held by Ukraine, including the border town of Sudzha. According to the Kremlin, some Ukrainian soldiers have been encircled on Russian territory.
“They’ve got people trapped there, and [Trump] doesn’t want to see everybody getting killed. That’s a significant battlefield condition that has to be dealt with,” Witkoff said.
The envoy added that Moscow had questions about implementing a potential ceasefire along state borders and the front line that spans more than 2,000 km (1,240 miles).
“Putin asked me in the meeting, ‘What should I do when in a particular area we have [Ukrainian soldiers] surrounded and they don’t want to give up?’ Do I kill them? How do I get them to give up?’” Witkoff said.
“And that one situation, Steve – this is Putin talking to me – is just one example of 70, 80, 90 different situations out there along the border, each one having different battlefield conditions, each one needing a separate conversation. That’s what has to happen for a ceasefire,” the diplomat said.
According to the Kremlin, Putin told Trump over the phone on Tuesday that Kiev “had repeatedly sabotaged and violated negotiated agreements.” The Russian president added that, for a ceasefire to work, Ukraine must stop mobilization and that the West must stop supplying Kiev with weapons.
Speaking to Carlson, Witkoff reiterated that Trump wants to negotiate a 30-day ceasefire that will be followed by a permanent truce. “We’re not far away from that,” he said.
Witkoff noted the “positive talk coming out of Russia about their willingness to consider all of these different things.” He added that Trump’s call with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday indicated “some degree of flexibility” in Kiev’s approach to the negotiations.
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