U.S. President Donald Trump emphasizes that Russia has an incentive to end the war, but first, a ceasefire must be officially declared. At a briefing, White House spokesperson Carolyn Levitt stated:
This is reported by Kyiv24
“I also do not want to preempt these negotiations. I can say that they were a productive conversation. As President’s representative Steve Witkoff said last night, he believes that Russia wants to end this war, and the president also believes that Russia has an incentive to end this war. And perhaps this could be an economic partnership with the United States, but first we need to see a ceasefire”
. She added that in response to a question about Russia agreeing to any conditions during negotiations with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, they clearly conveyed their intentions to the Russian side.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. president’s special envoy, held over four hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 11. According to him, the discussions were “convincing” and addressed possible steps to conclude Russia’s war in Ukraine. On Fox News, he reported that a peace agreement could involve settling the issue of five occupied territories, although he did not specify what exactly that entails.
Russia insists on recognition of its control over the occupied territories, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, part of which is currently occupied by Russian troops. Global analysts and officials continue to monitor the negotiations, which are crucial for the future of the region.