Axios has learned from its insiders that the phone conversation between Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on December 6 lasted two hours, and the discussion on territorial issues was indeed complex.
Points of attention
- Progress has been made in discussions on security guarantees, but more work is needed to align interpretations of the draft agreements.
- The Kremlin's push for Ukraine to withdraw troops from Donetsk remains a major obstacle in the negotiations.
Negotiations between Ukraine and the US are ongoing — what is known
Anonymous media sources claim that this time the focus was on issues of territory and security guarantees.
What is important to understand is that the key task of the Trump team was to gather information from both sides and increase pressure not only on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, but also on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Official Washington wants to sign a peace agreement between the countries as soon as possible at any cost.
The discussion of the territory was complicated, said a source familiar with the conversation.
The main problem is that the Kremlin is still trying to get Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the parts of Donetsk region it controls — Kyiv is not going to do that.
Trump's team is trying to bring forward new ideas to address this issue.
Zelensky also wants to receive truly reliable security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States.
The parties have made significant progress and are close to an agreement, but more work needs to be done to ensure that both sides interpret the draft security guarantees in the same way.
