President Trump stated on Friday that the US had “superb 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 website got here after the Russian chief met with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. particular envoy, in Moscow, late Thursday.
“We had superb and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Fact Social platform on Friday morning, in an obvious reference to the assembly with Mr. Witkoff. “There’s a superb likelihood that this horrible, bloody conflict can lastly come to an finish.”
It wasn’t instantly clear whether or not the 2 leaders had immediately spoken to one another. The Kremlin stated earlier Friday that Mr. Putin now expects to speak to President Trump a few attainable cease-fire in Ukraine, however that the decision had but to be scheduled.
In Friday’s Fact Social submit, Mr. Trump additionally stated hundreds of Ukrainian troops have been “utterly surrounded by the Russian army.” That gave the impression to be a reference to Russian claims that Ukrainian troopers have been surrounded within the Kursk area of Russia — claims which were challenged by unbiased analysts and that Ukraine’s army officers have rejected.
Mr. Putin on Thursday had prompt that he wished Ukraine to order its troopers in Kursk to give up as a part of any potential cease-fire deal, signaling that Russia wouldn’t allow them to peacefully withdraw.
“I’ve strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Battles have been raging in Kursk as Moscow’s forces push to drive Ukrainian troops from the small patch of land they seized over the summer season in a shock cross-border incursion. Russian troops have superior in latest days, with Mr. Putin urging them to complete the job “within the shortest attainable time.”
On Friday, the Ukrainian authorities ordered a number of villages within the Sumy area, throughout the border from Kursk, to evacuate amid elevated assaults and fears that the preventing may spill over.
“Aerial assaults — corresponding to glide bombs and drones — have intensified within the border areas,” stated Volodymyr Artiukhin, the Ukrainian head of the Sumy Regional Navy Administration, on Fb. He introduced the necessary evacuation on Friday of eight villages, affecting 543 residents.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, informed reporters on Friday that there was “actually” cause to really feel “cautious optimism” concerning the prospects for a settlement to the conflict, after a flurry of diplomacy in latest 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 provide 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 prompt that he would search to barter over a slew of points — corresponding to Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine — that would delay any deal or make it unattainable.
Mr. Peskov stated on Friday that Mr. Witkoff had “introduced further data to the Russian aspect” and that Mr. Putin “handed alongside data and extra alerts for President Trump.”
However Mr. Peskov prompt that the end result of the diplomatic back-and-forth would solely grow to be clear after Mr. Witkoff had briefed Mr. Trump, and after the Russian and American leaders had spoken by telephone. The 2 leaders are final recognized to have spoken on Feb. 12.
“After Mr. Witkoff passes alongside the entire data he obtained in Moscow to his head of state — we’ll decide the timing of the dialog after that,” Mr. Peskov stated. “There’s an understanding on each side that such a dialog is critical.”
Mr. Peskov’s feedback have been the newest indication that Mr. Putin is probably going making an attempt to steadiness a want to keep away from upsetting Mr. Trump together with his effort to pressure wide-ranging concessions from the West and from Ukraine. Whereas Mr. Trump says he needs to finish the conflict as shortly as attainable, 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 stated 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 attainable.”
However Mr. Waltz, the U.S. nationwide safety adviser, later stated on Fox Information that the White Home had “some cautious optimism” concerning the prospects for a cease-fire. Mr. Witkoff, he stated, was “bringing issues again for us to judge and for President Trump to make choices on subsequent steps.”
Referring to Mr. Putin’s information convention on Thursday, Mr. Waltz stated, “After all, each side are going to have their calls for, and naturally each side are going to need to make some compromises.”
