President Trump mentioned on Friday that the US had “excellent and productive” discussions with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a day earlier a few potential cease-fire in Ukraine.
The remarks on Mr. Trump’s social media web site got here after the Russian chief met with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. particular envoy, in Moscow, late Thursday.
“We had excellent and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Reality Social platform on Friday morning, in an obvious reference to the assembly with Mr. Witkoff. “There’s a excellent probability that this horrible, bloody battle can lastly come to an finish.”
The Kremlin mentioned earlier that Mr. Putin now expects to speak to President Trump a few potential cease-fire in Ukraine, based on the Kremlin.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, informed reporters on Friday that there was “actually” cause to really feel “cautious optimism” in regards to the prospects for a settlement to the battle, after a flurry of diplomacy in current days. He was echoing equally optimistic remarks made by Michael Waltz, Mr. Trump’s nationwide safety adviser, late Thursday.
The feedback from Mr. Peskov signaled that Russia was keen to maintain negotiating with the US over Ukraine.
On Thursday, earlier than the assembly with Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Putin confirmed that he was in no hurry to simply accept the supply of a 30-day truce made by Ukraine and the US this week. Mr. Putin informed a information convention that he was open to the proposal, however steered that he would search to barter over a slew of points — equivalent to Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine — that would delay any deal or make it not possible.
Mr. Peskov mentioned on Friday that Mr. Witkoff had “offered extra data to the Russian aspect” and that Mr. Putin “handed alongside data and extra indicators for President Trump.”
However Mr. Peskov steered that the end result of the diplomatic back-and-forth would solely develop into clear after Mr. Witkoff had briefed Mr. Trump, and after the Russian and American leaders had spoken by telephone. Mr. Peskov added that the timing of a Trump-Putin name was but to be decided. The 2 leaders are final recognized to have spoken on Feb. 12.
“After Mr. Witkoff passes alongside all the data he obtained in Moscow to his head of state — we’ll decide the timing of the dialog after that,” Mr. Peskov mentioned. “There’s an understanding on either side that such a dialog is important.”
Mr. Peskov’s feedback have been the most recent indication that Mr. Putin is probably going attempting to stability a want to keep away from upsetting Mr. Trump together with his effort to power wide-ranging concessions from the West and from Ukraine. Whereas Mr. Trump says he desires to finish the battle as shortly as potential, Mr. Putin seems assured that he has time on his aspect and that an unconditional cease-fire would profit Ukraine.
Mr. Witkoff, who’s formally the president’s Center East envoy, has additionally taken on a key function as an interlocutor with Russia — spending three hours assembly with Mr. Putin final month as he finalized a prisoner alternate between Russia and the US.
Ukraine has already agreed to help the U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal, however provided that Russia does the identical. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine mentioned that Mr. Putin in his information convention had set so many situations “that nothing will work out in any respect or that it’ll not work out for so long as potential.”
However Mr. Waltz, the U.S. nationwide safety adviser, later mentioned on Fox Information that the White Home had “some cautious optimism” in regards to the prospects for a cease-fire. Mr. Witkoff, he mentioned, was “bringing issues again for us to judge and for President Trump to make selections on subsequent steps.”
Referring to Mr. Putin’s information convention on Thursday, Mr. Waltz mentioned, “After all, either side are going to have their calls for, and naturally either side are going to should make some compromises.”