This is reported by Kyiv24
The Special Representative of the U.S. President in Ukraine, Kitt Kellogg, stated during the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum that achieving a peace agreement to end Russia’s war against Ukraine is in its final stages. According to him, the parties have already approached a critical point in this process.
Key Issues of Negotiations and Positions of the Parties
Kellogg compared the current situation to the last meters on the path to victory, emphasizing that the final stages of negotiations are the most challenging. He noted that the main focus is now on resolving issues related to the Donetsk region and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is still under the control of Russian troops.
In Kellogg’s opinion, other aspects of the conflict may be resolved in the near future. He also highlighted the unprecedented scale of this war among regional conflicts, mentioning past wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan and comparing the losses of the parties to modern realities.
“The Soviet Union left Afghanistan, losing 18,000 (military personnel). We left Vietnam, losing 58,000. Russia and Ukraine together have lost over two million. Think about that. These are horrific numbers. And that’s why we need to end the conflict… So I think we are almost there,” he said.
Kellogg also supported the peace initiative of the Trump administration, indicating that “there are two meters left” to end the war.
Recent Negotiations and Prospects for Resolution
On November 23, a meeting took place in Geneva with representatives from the U.S., Ukraine, and European countries regarding Trump’s peace initiative. At the same time, on December 2, negotiations occurred in Moscow between American mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Vladimir Putin regarding the terms of a potential peace agreement. Following the meeting, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov reported that although no compromise was reached, some of the American proposals were viewed as acceptable.
Putin confirmed that the Russian side did not agree with several points of the American plan and emphasized the need for detailed discussion of each of them. Meanwhile, according to Ushakov, substantive discussions on the details are still ahead, and currently, the focus is on general approaches to resolution.
After the Moscow negotiations, the Ukrainian delegation in the U.S., along with representatives of the Trump administration, continued consultations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that he had a substantive phone conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner along with Andriy Hnatov and Rustem Umerov.
According to Axios, this conversation lasted about two hours and was complex, especially regarding territorial issues. Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas; however, the U.S. is considering alternative solutions to address this issue. Key discussion topics also included security guarantees for Ukraine from the U.S.
According to sources, the parties have made significant progress in negotiations and have come closer to agreeing on positions regarding security guarantees, but further work on the details is needed to ensure a uniform interpretation of the guarantee project by all participants in the process.