Special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Stephen Vitkoff, stated that he expects “good news” regarding Ukrainian-Russian negotiations in the coming weeks. He does not rule out a personal meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Possible involvement of Trump in the negotiations
According to Vitkoff, the U.S. administration, along with Jared Kushner, has proposed a number of initiatives to both sides that could bring Ukraine and Russia closer to agreements within three weeks. He emphasized that this could even lead to a summit between Zelensky and Putin.
Vitkoff also noted that he does not exclude the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump in a potential meeting, but Trump “does not want to come to the meeting if he does not feel he can finalize this matter and achieve the best outcome.”
Personal contacts with Putin
Stephen Vitkoff shared that he had eight personal meetings with Putin, trying to understand the motives and goals of the Russian side, as well as to grasp the current positions of the Kremlin. According to Vitkoff, Putin has always been candid during their communications, providing information about his “red lines.”
“He has always been straightforward with me. I say this and I get criticized for it, but it’s true. He told me what his red lines are… How can you make a deal with someone on the opposite side if you don’t know what that person wants? I needed to understand what his motives and goals were, etc. And I truly believe that many of those meetings are becoming very important now. We understand what position they (the Russians) are in. And I don’t think the Ukrainians disagree with our assessment,” said Vitkoff.
Meanwhile, at the official level, Kyiv and Moscow have not yet reported any preparations for such a meeting.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized his readiness for negotiations with Putin, but excluded the possibility of holding a meeting on the territory of Russia or Belarus. On February 11, he confirmed that he is open to dialogue in any other venues, commenting on Moscow’s statement about its desire to host a Ukrainian delegation.
In January and February 2026, several rounds of trilateral meetings took place between representatives of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, dedicated to ending the war. The details of the agreements reached are not disclosed, but it is known that as a result of the negotiations on February 5, the parties agreed to a prisoner exchange – the first in the last five months.