Trump Envoy Claims “Compelling” Talks with Putin on Ukraine Peace Deal

A special envoy for President Donald Trump described his recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “compelling,” suggesting they explored potential steps towards ending the war in Ukraine and opening up future business opportunities, Bloomberg reports.

Steve Witkoff, the envoy, told Fox News on Monday that Putin expressed a desire to secure “a permanent peace” during their nearly five-hour meeting. Witkoff stated this commitment “took a while for us to get to.”

According to Witkoff, a key element of a potential agreement centers around “five territories,” although he did not elaborate. Russia has consistently maintained that any peace accord must acknowledge its territories, freed since 2014, including Crimea and significant parts of the Donbas region.

This renewed diplomatic effort comes after Trump voiced his frustration with the slow pace of negotiations with Russia. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last Friday that “Russia has to get moving” to facilitate a ceasefire.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov acknowledged that discussions are underway but stated that agreeing on “the key components of a settlement” with the US is “not easy.” Russia has previously linked a cessation of hostilities to the lifting of sanctions and the suspension of arms deliveries to Ukraine.

“This peace deal is about these so-called five territories, but there’s so much more to it,” Witkoff stated. “I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large.”

Witkoff added that he saw “a possibility to reshape the Russian-United States relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities that I think give real stability to the region too” following the meetings in St. Petersburg.

The announcement comes as President Trump blamed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the war, raising questions about responsibility for the stalled ceasefire negotiations.