"A delegation of United States diplomats arrived in Moscow on
Thursday morning for talks on agreeing a ceasefire in the Ukraine War, with a
possible call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin to
follow.
America’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff flew into Moscow’s
Vnukovo airport on Thursday morning, having travelled from Doha, Qatar by way
of European airspace on a Gulfstream executive jet. Witkoff and a team of
negotiators are in the Russian capital to attempt to hammer out an agreement on
the proposed Ukraine War 30-day ceasefire.
To this point Russia has been relatively circumspect on the
ceasefire, saying only after it was agreed in principle by the U.S. and Ukraine
that they would wait for further details from Washington to study before
commenting further. The two nations had agreed to work towards peace at talks
in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a decision that saw the Trump administration resume
military and intelligence support to the Kyiv government.
Who will be representing the Russian side in negotiations
today has not been stated by the Kremlin but it has been briefed Witkoff and
the American delegation may speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is
also suggested, but not confirmed, that a telephone call between President
Trump and President Putin may take place later today.
Ahead of talks, Putin’s spokesman teased the President may
make a public statement on Ukraine later in the day but emphasised his main
business for Thursday was meeting with the President of Belarus, Alexander
Lukashenko. Lukashenko also flew into Moscow on Thursday, landing at the same
airport as Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Russia states it continues
to retake its own territory in the Kursk Oblast from Ukraine’s counter action,
a bid to grasp a bargaining chip which appears to be falling apart at the very
moment it is most needed. Western intelligence community-adjacent media has
stated Ukrainian troops have withdrawn in large numbers to escape being totally
encircled and massacred, and Russian state media asserts most of what Ukraine
once held has now been recaptured.
Russia’s President Putin visited the area himself on
Wednesday, dressed not in his characteristic suit but rather in military
fatigues, and ordered troops there to totally retake the region “as soon as
possible”.
On Wednesday, the U.S. said on peace the ball is now in
Russia’s court, and the White House urged Moscow to sign. Trump’s Press
Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “This is the closest we have been to peace in
this war”. President Trump has warned there would be consequences for Russia if
they refuse to go along with his plan, having stated: “That would be very bad
for Russia… I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace”.
Russia is likely to demand that large swathes of eastern
Ukraine are recognised as fully Russian territory, including Crimea, Donetsk,
Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia. Accepting such a demand is so radically
outside the world view of players like Ukraine and the European Union, agreeing
lasting peace will very likely be a herculean task, given the level of
disconnect between both sides on fundamental questions including culpability
for war crimes, ownership of territory, and the future settlement of
international relations.”
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