Ukraine has put forward new proposals, Witkoff is bringing them to Russia
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held negotiations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European representatives in Oslo on October 20. Now he is expected to travel to Russia on October 21 to meet with Vladimir Putin. The American side intends to discuss the new proposals put forward by Ukraine with Moscow.
Ukraine has put forward new proposals, while Witkoff is taking them to Russia
According to DW, the trip plan was confirmed by a TASS source, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Axios and The New York Times also wrote about this visit.
Støre and Stubb said the meeting would take place in Saint Petersburg. Meanwhile, the TASS source confirmed Witkoff's visit to Russia but did not specify which city he would arrive in.
Zelenskyy, Witkoff, Støre, and Stubb attended the talks in Oslo. According to Axios, representatives from Germany, the UK, France, Poland, and NATO also took part. The second US negotiator, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, joined the conversation remotely due to falling ill with the flu, according to media reports.
The meeting discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial issues, sanctions, and a post-war European security architecture.
At the conclusion of the talks, the Finnish president stated that "real progress" had been achieved on both the general terms of an agreement and short-term goals. According to him, the ideas discussed will be presented in Saint Petersburg on October 21.
Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, an American official said Ukraine had put forward new ideas and proposals in Oslo. He stated that the goal of the talks with Putin is to build on the progress made with Ukraine and Europe and to discuss the proposals with the Russian side.
At a press conference, Zelenskyy also reacted to reports about a possible meeting between Putin, Trump, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping regarding the war in Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal had previously written about a proposal to hold such a meeting in November.
"If it comes to Ukraine and our future, this can only be acceptable if we are also at the negotiating table," the Ukrainian president said.
In an earlier interview with Corriere della Sera, he also stated that he wanted to know the details of the potential meeting to "prevent further surprises."