Potential peace deal in Ukraine gains momentum with US backing
"The draft of the Istanbul Agreements of 2022 could serve as a basis for resolving the conflict in Ukraine," stated the US special envoy for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, as quoted by the TASS agency.
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Our discussions with Russia in Saudi Arabia, which were attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, were positive and constructive. I believe that they gave momentum to the conflict resolution process. I am optimistic, as is US President Donald Trump, and I think we can make some progress soon, said Witkoff, quoted by the TASS agency.
Witkoff expressed his belief that the Russians are seriously considering reaching a peace agreement in the near future, although he did not specify what concessions Moscow is ready to make to end the war.
I am grateful to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who showed flexibility and released Fogel. I believe this was a significant signal to President Trump that Putin wants to reach an agreement, said Trump's envoy in an interview with CNN.
Witkoff also assumes that Ukraine will agree to a deal with the US regarding rare earth metals within this week. He stated that Zelensky changed his mind after bitter words directed at him by Donald Trump.
Istanbul Agreements
The Istanbul Agreement of March 29, 2022 prohibited Ukraine from hosting any foreign military bases on its territory, which meant that NATO would not be able to permanently deploy its contingent there. Lavrov explained that this point pertains to fulfilling Vladimir Putin's demand for "demilitarization".
Russia wanted to limit the size of Ukraine's Armed Forces and the number of military equipment to 65,000 personnel, 400 tanks, and 985 artillery pieces; the Ukrainian side insisted on different numbers: 250,000 personnel, 800 tanks, and 1,900 artillery pieces, respectively.
At the same time, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that "Putin agreed to Ukraine being under NATO protection". The peace agreement in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv foresaw the application of NATO's Article 5 to Ukraine, he said in an interview with Russian media.
Source: TASS, CNN, WP News
