Axios: Zelensky had a difficult conversation with American negotiators

According to Isna, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the phone with Steve Wittkoff, the US peace envoy, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and informal adviser of US President Donald Trump.

Discussions on territorial issues were “difficult” because Kiev has rejected a key Russian request for troop withdrawals from parts of the Donbass that Ukraine still occupies, Axios reported.

This publication quoted its informed sources and wrote that America has been trying to create new ideas to solve this problem. Of course, the two sides of the negotiation made acceptable progress and reached an agreement about the security guarantees of the United States to Ukraine.

Zelensky called the phone call “long and effective” on the X network (Twitter) and said that Ukraine “is determined to continue cooperating with the American side in good faith to achieve real peace.”

Donald Trump has previously said that Ukraine may be forced to make territorial concessions to Russia and has argued that Moscow will eventually take full control of the Donbass.

Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin last Tuesday.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s assistant, said that although the two sides have differences of opinion, the negotiations were very effective and productive.

During his visit to India on Thursday, Putin told local media that if Ukrainian forces refused to withdraw, Russia would force them out of Donbass.

Putin has previously said that in order to achieve lasting peace, Ukraine must recognize Russia’s new borders and abandon its bid to join NATO in favor of permanent neutrality.

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