U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is heading again to Moscow Monday, because the U.S. continues its efforts to finish the warfare in Ukraine.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
This week sees the U.S. once more ramping up diplomatic efforts to finish the warfare in Ukraine.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
A senior White Home delegation hosted Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday, and extra talks are anticipated when U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow later as we speak.
FADEL: Becoming a member of us to speak in regards to the state of play is NPR’s Charles Maynes, who joins us on the road from Moscow. Hello, Charles.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK. So let’s start with this weekend’s negotiations. What are you able to inform us?
MAYNES: Yeah. Certain. , so on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with White Home envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – in fact, the son-in-law of the president – hosted a Ukrainian delegation for talks in Florida, which has emerged as type of a nexus for Ukraine-related diplomacy in latest weeks. Discussions have been centered on this new U.S. peace plan, initially criticized as closely tilted in Russia’s favor however since amended with enter from Ukraine and Europe. Now, Rubio known as the assembly productive, at the same time as he made clear there was a lot extra work to do. He additionally had this to say.
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MARCO RUBIO: We do not simply wish to finish the warfare. We additionally wish to assist Ukraine be secure ceaselessly, so by no means once more will they face one other invasion. And equally importantly, we would like them to enter an age of true prosperity.
MAYNES: Now, this assembly was additionally notable due to a shift within the make-up of the Ukrainian delegation. That is after a corruption scandal led to the resignation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of employees, who had been the lead negotiator with the U.S. How a lot that influenced the talks is hard to say. Trump, in short feedback to journalists Sunday, referred to the corruption scandal as a bit downside. Rubio did not point out it in any respect.
FADEL: OK. Now, White Home envoy Steve Witkoff is anticipated in Moscow quickly. Any sense of what he can count on?
MAYNES: Yeah. , he arrives later as we speak and can meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin both tonight or tomorrow. However Witkoff has his personal baggage. , a not too long ago leaked transcript of an audio recording reported by Bloomberg Information actually appeared to point out Witkoff actively teaching the Kremlin on the way to interact with Trump and dealing with them to include key Russian speaking factors into the unique draft of the peace plan. , that mentioned, Trump has dismissed this as principally deal-making 101. And Putin additionally defended Witkoff, saying, yeah, he is a well mannered and clever man who tried to work with us. And would not it’s unusual if he’d come right here and simply insulted us and anticipated to get something executed?
FADEL: So OK. Witkoff and Putin have some rapport, as I hear there. Trump says he does as properly with Putin. However has that translated into any precise flexibility within the Russian place?
MAYNES: It is a good query, yeah, as a result of Putin, it appears, is attempting to tempt the U.S. into upping the stress on Ukraine to simply accept a deal. , on Friday, he supplied an instantaneous finish to hostilities if Ukraine withdraws from territory Moscow claims, which can sound interesting in the event you ignore that it is Ukrainian land that Russia hasn’t been in a position to seize in additional than three years of combating, though Putin argues it is only a matter of time.
In the meantime, Russia’s been tempting the U.S. in different methods. , Putin’s negotiators – they continually discuss how a lot cash the U.S. might make in Russia as soon as the warfare ends and sanctions are lifted, which is why a few of these statements out of Florida have been fascinating to listen to. , they recommend the U.S. now sees prosperity – enterprise offers – as key to an enduring peace. The query is, to what diploma are they seen as an alternative to Western safety ensures for Ukraine that Kyiv has all the time sought and Moscow’s all the time rejected?
FADEL: That is NPR’s Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thanks, Charles.
MAYNES: Thanks.
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