Russian official insists Ukraine’s NATO membership must be excluded from any peace agreement in interview.
United States President Donald Trump has stated his intention to discuss the end of the Ukraine war with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump indicated that significant progress had been achieved over the weekend.
“We aim to see if an end to the conflict is possible,” said Trump. “Perhaps we can achieve this, perhaps we can’t, but I believe we have a good chance.”
Regarding the discussions on concessions during ceasefire negotiations, Trump mentioned the topics of land and power plants.
“I believe we have already covered much of this in discussions between both Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
“We are already discussing the division of certain assets.”
Trump’s remarks followed a statement by a senior Russian official, as reported by local media, suggesting that Ukraine’s NATO membership must be halted in any potential peace agreement.
In an interview with Izvestia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that Moscow requires “solid security guarantees” for any ceasefire to be agreed upon.
“Only through such guarantees can lasting peace in Ukraine be achieved and overall regional security strengthened,” Grushko was quoted as saying.
“Ukraine should maintain a neutral status, with NATO countries refraining from accepting Ukraine as a member of the alliance as part of these guarantees.”
“This provision was clearly outlined in the drafts of the aforementioned agreements. As for discussions, they are not currently occurring as negotiations are not in progress.”
Earlier on Sunday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witcoff informed CNN that the two leaders will have “a really good and positive discussion” this week.
Washington is aiming to persuade both sides to accept a proposal for an immediate 30-day truce that emerged from last week’s talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted the proposal, Russian President Putin has not yet committed, saying he supports it in principle.
Last week, Putin noted that the plan would primarily benefit Ukraine as Russian forces were gaining ground, and he had “serious questions” regarding the initiative.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not genuinely seeking to end the conflict and instead trying to “improve their situation on the battlefield” before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Recently, Russia has pushed Ukrainian forces from most of its Kursk region, where Kyiv controlled an estimated 1,300sq km (500 square miles) of territory at the peak of its incursion launched in August.
Speaking to journalists on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump indicated that significant progress had been achieved over the weekend.
“We aim to see if an end to the conflict is possible,” said Trump. “Perhaps we can achieve this, perhaps we can’t, but I believe we have a good chance.”
Regarding the discussions on concessions during ceasefire negotiations, Trump mentioned the topics of land and power plants.
“I believe we have already covered much of this in discussions between both Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
“We are already discussing the division of certain assets.”
Trump’s remarks followed a statement by a senior Russian official, as reported by local media, suggesting that Ukraine’s NATO membership must be halted in any potential peace agreement.
In an interview with Izvestia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated that Moscow requires “solid security guarantees” for any ceasefire to be agreed upon.
“Only through such guarantees can lasting peace in Ukraine be achieved and overall regional security strengthened,” Grushko was quoted as saying.
“Ukraine should maintain a neutral status, with NATO countries refraining from accepting Ukraine as a member of the alliance as part of these guarantees.”
“This provision was clearly outlined in the drafts of the aforementioned agreements. As for discussions, they are not currently occurring as negotiations are not in progress.”
Earlier on Sunday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witcoff informed CNN that the two leaders will have “a really good and positive discussion” this week.
Washington is aiming to persuade both sides to accept a proposal for an immediate 30-day truce that emerged from last week’s talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted the proposal, Russian President Putin has not yet committed, saying he supports it in principle.
Last week, Putin noted that the plan would primarily benefit Ukraine as Russian forces were gaining ground, and he had “serious questions” regarding the initiative.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not genuinely seeking to end the conflict and instead trying to “improve their situation on the battlefield” before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Recently, Russia has pushed Ukrainian forces from most of its Kursk region, where Kyiv controlled an estimated 1,300sq km (500 square miles) of territory at the peak of its incursion launched in August.
