Ushakov shared insights regarding a recent meeting between President Putin and representatives of former President Trump, noting that their conversation involved “extremely serious issues” and took place in both formal and informal settings over lunch.
According to Ushakov, the Russian side provided an assessment of the ongoing war initiated by Russia, specifically addressing the alleged advances made by occupying forces and the goals they have set. In contrast, high-ranking NATO officials indicate that Russian progress in combat zones has decreased by four times compared to the same period last year. The Alliance does not believe that Russia will capture Donbas by the end of 2027.
Ushakov further emphasized that Putin underscored the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. He claimed that Putin expressed a willingness to continue working with American counterparts to seek political and diplomatic solutions.
“Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner promised to use the observations and assessments received from us personally from the President of Russia during their upcoming meetings in Kyiv to achieve a robust peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine,” Ushakov stated, without providing further details on what those observations entailed.
He noted that the American special representatives had thoroughly prepared for their trip and expressed not only the traditional interest in quickly ending hostilities but also articulated a range of considerations regarding potential paths to resolution.
Ushakov pointed out that the Americans “took note” of one specific moment that the Russian President highlighted, particularly the fact that the “Kyiv regime” has ceased to hide its nature by exhuming some of the most notorious Nazi criminals. This remark likely referred to the reburial of figures from the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), a decision that previously raised concerns in the Kremlin.
Additionally, he mentioned that beyond discussing the war in Ukraine, both sides also addressed mutually beneficial cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, as well as future contacts.
Context
- On September 4, Trump announced that his representatives would travel to Moscow and Kyiv to attempt to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
- Witkoff and Kushner have previously visited Moscow but have never been to Kyiv. Their scheduled visit to Kyiv on September 6 will mark their first trip there.
