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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The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
Türkiye and Iran have suspended day-trip passenger crossings at their shared border, Türkiye's trade minister said Monday, as a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran entered its third day.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
The UK said it's allowing the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran amid escalating missile attacks, after a suspected drone strike hit a British airbase in southern Cyprus, causing limited damage.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
European Union stands with its member states in the face of any threat, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in response to the drone strike that hit Britain's Royal Air Force base of Akrotiri in southern Cyprus overnight.
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