White House Special Envoy Steve Wiktoff said Tuesday that “significant progress” has been made towards reaching a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“We have made significant progress on several critical workstreams, including our bilateral security guarantee framework and a prosperity plan,” Mr. Witkoff wrote on X, after meeting with European allies in Paris.
Mr. Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with roughly 35 other nations to develop a “durable security guarantee” to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression if the four-year war comes to an end.
The security guarantee would include military assistance, the rebuilding of Ukraine’s armed forces and a monitoring system to ensure Russia doesn’t violate a potential ceasefire.
“We will be continuing our discussions with the Ukrainian delegation this evening and tomorrow, and we are hopeful to achieve additional positive momentum in the near future,” Mr. Witkoff said.
The meeting comes roughly one week after Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Florida to hammer out a deal to end the war. At the conclusion of their meeting, both leaders said a deal to end the war is “close,” but several thorny issues remain.
Mr. Trump acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region remains a tricky issue to solve. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the entire Donbas region, including areas that Russia’s army does not now control.
Mr. Zelenskyy has been steadfast in his insistence that he will not give up any territory as part of a peace deal.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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