Russia made swift concessions at Alaska meeting with Trump, says U.S. envoy

Russia offered “almost immediate” concessions during last week’s Alaska summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump, a U.S. envoy has said, signalling momentum towards a potential peace deal in Ukraine.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff made the comment in a televised interview with FOX News on Tuesday. 

“There were concessions almost immediately made on the part of the Russians in the first meeting in Alaska,” Witkoff said. He did not specify the nature of the concessions but said the talks aimed to achieve a full peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire.

“We stayed there for quite some time because we actually made progress on how we might get to a peace deal,” he said. “A ceasefire deal is very, very easy to break because it doesn't have all the ingredients attached to it.”

Witkoff added that President Trump sensed “a lot of the precursors” for a broader settlement were in place during the talks, prompting a shift in focus toward a more comprehensive agreement.

A follow-up meeting on Monday in Washington brought together Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders. According to sources familiar with the discussions, the talks addressed key obstacles including land swaps and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.

European officials and Kyiv reportedly continue to push for a formal ceasefire as a prerequisite to any peace framework. However, the U.S. and Russia are said to favour negotiating a full settlement first.

The White House has not released a formal statement on the talks.

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