US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday that significant progress has been achieved in talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, noting that only one outstanding issue remains to be resolved, just hours before he travels to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Witkoff said that multiple versions of the remaining issue have already been discussed, increasing confidence that it can be settled.
“I believe there is only one issue left to resolve. We have discussed many versions of this issue, which means it can be resolved. If both sides want to resolve it, we will resolve it,” Witkoff said, without providing further details. “I think we have made great progress,” he added.
Witkoff said he will travel later today to Moscow together with Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, for talks with Putin. The visit comes as indirect negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow continue in search of a diplomatic solution to the war.
The US envoy had told Bloomberg on Tuesday that it was Moscow that requested the new meeting.
Following the Moscow talks, US negotiators are expected to travel to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where discussions will continue at working-group level, described as “military-to-military” talks, Witkoff said.
Meanwhile, Trump is due to hold talks later today in Davos with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said that the United States is willing to provide Ukraine with all the military equipment it needs.
US negotiators have been holding separate talks with Kyiv and Moscow for months in an effort to reach an agreement to end the war, now approaching its fourth year. However, major issues remain unresolved, including the fate of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces and the security guarantees to be offered to Kyiv.
Witkoff and Kushner previously met Putin in Moscow in December, where they presented a set of proposals.
Source: AMNA