Witkoff: The ultimate goal of the current talks is a 30-day ceasefire to establish a permanent truce

He said this in an interview with American blogger and host Tucker Carlson, as reported by Ukrinform.

“The ultimate goal is a 30-day ceasefire, during which we will discuss a permanent ceasefire. We are close to that, but we need to figure out all the conditions on the battlefield to achieve a 30-day ceasefire. That's why I started with Kursk,” Vitkoff said.

He also repeated Russian claims that a group of Ukrainian servicemen in Russia's Kursk region was allegedly surrounded.

Moreover, Witkoff claims that the recent conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was productive, as Russia allegedly agreed to a ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure.

“This means that Russia will not attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure, while Ukraine will not attack Russia's energy infrastructure. They have discussed this before. We are raising this issue again. They have never talked about restoring the moratorium on attacks on naval facilities in the Black Sea – Ukraine attacks Russian ships, and Russia attacks Ukrainian ships,” he added.

Read also: Trump says there are 'limits of agreement' between Ukraine and Russia

Witkoff acknowledged that clashes on the front line continue, stressing the need for negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian sides on the terms of an end to hostilities.

He also noted that technical working groups will begin to meet in Jeddah from Monday.

“There are various positive messages coming out of Russia about their willingness to look at these issues. And Zelenskyy had a great conversation with the president [Trump] after he talked to President Putin the next day. I think that suggests that they have some flexibility in terms of ending this conflict,” Wittkoff added.

He noted that he did not want to appear to be an “eternal pessimist,” but added that he was very optimistic that the United States could bring the two sides together.

Witkoff stressed that the US is committed to reaching a negotiated outcome and an agreement that Ukrainian Pele can accept.

“I want to see Ukraine come out of this. I want Russia to come out of this. We may need various Senate approvals. This is the critical system we are in. We want everyone to be, in some sense, satisfied. […] When I say satisfied, I mean that we come out of this with an agreement that is acceptable to everyone,” Witkoff said.

He also mentioned that a meeting between Trump and Putin could take place within the next few months.

On March 11, a meeting of US and Ukrainian delegations was held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Ukraine expressed its readiness to accept the US proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, provided that Russia observes it.

On March 13, U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff visited Moscow, where he met with President Putin. The Kremlin said Putin had passed “additional information and signals” to Trump through Witkoff.

On Tuesday, March 18, President Trump spoke by phone with Putin. The White House later announced that Moscow had agreed to a limited cease-fire targeting energy and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

On March 19, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the US administration, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to achieving sustainable peace in Ukraine.

Photo: &cy;EPA-EFE/SHAWN TEW