Trump's special envoy Witkoff says there is agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine. At the same time, the parties have begun to talk openly about negotiations over land.
The case is being updated
The United States and Russia have agreed on robust security guarantees for Ukraine, US special envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN.
“I would describe it as groundbreaking,” Witkoff told the channel. He describes it as an Article 5-type guarantee.
NATO's Article 5 states that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all.
Peace negotiations
– Current front lines should be the starting point for peace negotiations.
The move is one of many today, before Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington tomorrow. When the two met in February, it ended in a open-camera argument.
Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels on Sunday, where he participated in a video conference on the future of Ukraine. Leaders from a number of European countries were also present, including Jonas Gahr Støre. The meeting ended at 5:00 p.m.
– We want to strengthen cooperation with the United States on security guarantees for Ukraine. It is then crucial that we continue our support for the Ukrainian defense, says Støre after the meeting.
He also says that there are few signs that Russia actually wants peace:
– There are few signs that Russia is showing real will for a peaceful solution, says Støre.
– A significant change
Before the meeting, Zelenskyy held a press conference in Brussels.
There he said that security guarantees from the US are a significant change. However, he added that there are no details on how it will work and what the US role will be. He will try to get an answer to that tomorrow, he added.
During the press conference, Zelensky also said that today's front lines should be the starting point for peace negotiations.
It is a completely different starting point than Putin's.
Offers area swapping
In the meeting with Trump in Alaska on Friday, Vladimir Putin is said to have offered to freeze the front line in two of the regions in exchange for all of Luhansk and Donetsk.
According to the news media Kyiv Independent and Axios, Putin has reportedly offered to withdraw Russian forces from the Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
According to Steve Witkoff, Putin made some concessions during the meeting with Trump regarding the five Ukrainian regions that Russia claims in Ukraine. He does not say what concessions are in question.
Several media outlets – including The New York Times – reported that Trump expressed a positive view of several of the Russian demands, in a conversation with European leaders after the Alaska meeting. It is not clear exactly which Russian demands Trump will support.
Receives European support
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she and several other European leaders will attend Zelensky's meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday.
There she will present the EU's positions. At a press conference in Brussels on Sunday, she presented the most important positions:
- Security guarantees to Ukraine.
- Ukrainian sovereignty over its own territory.
- No restrictions on the Ukrainian military's cooperation with other countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Finnish President Alexander Stubb have also announced that they will join the White House.
