All sides will have to make concessions to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The American leader was asked what concessions Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to make to end the conflict. “He will make concessions. Everybody will make concessions. Europe will be part of it. I'm doing this more for Europe than for myself. I have the opportunity to do this. We'll see if we can do it“, Trump said.
He spoke against the backdrop of Putin's meeting with the US delegation in the Kremlin tonight, which lasted nearly four hours.
The US president said he was following the outcome of these talks: “We'll see what happens.“
When asked whether the trilateral talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the UAE, scheduled for January 23-24, would lead to a meeting between the leaders of these countries, Trump noted that contacts with all countries are useful. “Every time we meet, it's a good thing“, he added.
According to the American leader, both Putin and Zelensky, with whom Trump met in Davos on January 22, want to “make a deal“. “The parameters are known. We discussed with Zelensky what was discussed for six or seven months. He came and said he wanted to make a deal“, Trump said of the meeting in Switzerland.
According to Axios, Dmitriev and intelligence officials will represent Russia in these talks, while Witkoff, Kushner and military chief Dan Driscoll will represent the United States.
As reported by the Financial Times, Abu Dhabi will offer Moscow an “energy truce“ – an end to attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in exchange for a halt to attacks on Russian tankers and oil refineries. The newspaper notes that negotiations with Russia on this issue have not yet advanced and Ukraine is also wary of such a truce.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that the only unresolved issue in the peace plan remains the territorial dispute. Moscow insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as from the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, and the recognition of these territories and Crimea as part of Russia. Washington proposes the creation of a demilitarized zone. Kiev has proposed a freeze on the conflict along the current front line.
The last meeting between Witkoff and Kushner with Putin in December failed to achieve compromise on the territorial issue.