Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, shared the president’s belief that Ukraine incited Russia to go to war.
The United States is “very close” to achieving a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, akin to the Istanbul Protocol Agreement, to end the conflict, according to Steve Witkoff, special envoy to US President Donald Trump.
Witkoff reaffirmed Sunday in an interview with CNN that the war did not have to be waged and that it must cease, regardless of who initiated it.
“There was no need for the war. It was triggered. “It doesn’t necessarily mean the Russians provoked it,” he stated.
“Back then, there were several discussions regarding Ukraine joining NATO. This has been discussed by the president. That wasn’t necessary. In essence, it turned become a danger to the Russians,” he continued.
“The Istanbul Protocol Agreement served as the framework for what I will refer to as extremely persuasive and significant negotiations. We were really close to striking a deal, and I believe that day will be fantastic as we use that framework as a guide to get a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”
Witkoff offered the following statement regarding the involvement of US President Donald Trump: “We have had close to 1.5 million deaths, and finally we have a leader determined to end the carnage.”
Resolutions of the UNGA
According to a US official and a European diplomat on Sunday, the US has pushed Ukraine to renounce its European-backed UN resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of Russian military from Ukraine in favor of an American proposal that makes no reference to Moscow’s invasion.
However, Ukraine declined to withdraw its draft resolution, and according to two European diplomats, the UN General Assembly will vote on it on Monday, the third anniversary of the conflict.
According to the diplomats and the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because private negotiations are still in progress, the 193-nation General Assembly is then anticipated to vote on the US draft resolution.
Additionally, the Trump administration wants the more powerful UN Security Council to vote on its proposal. The vote is set to take place right after the 15-nation council’s meeting on Ukraine on Monday afternoon. However, European diplomats stated that it could be moved to Tuesday at Russia’s request.
The conflicting resolutions, which are the first since the invasion, draw attention to the tension that has developed between the US, Ukraine, and European nations in the five weeks since President Donald Trump took office. Trump has also begun to hold negotiations with Russia in an effort to resolve the war after years of isolation.
