The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan, "secretly" as Axios writes, to end the war in Ukraine.
The 28-point plan, according to the report, which cites American and Russian officials, is guided by the achievement of the agreement in Gaza. A Russian official, speaking to Axios, appeared optimistic, while it is currently unclear how the Ukrainians and Europeans will react.
Four general axes
The Axios report reveals that this is a plan with four general axes: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and future US relations with Russia and Ukraine.
As the publication notes, it is not clear how to resolve controversial issues, such as territorial control in eastern Ukraine.
Behind the drafting of the plan is Steve Witkoff, who is said to have raised it with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to an American official.
Dmitriev, who runs Russia's sovereign wealth fund and is also deeply involved in diplomacy over Ukraine, told Axios that he met with Witkov and Trump administration officials for three days in Miami on October 24-26.
The Russian expressed optimism about reaching an agreement, as he said "we feel that the Russian position is really being heard."
American-Russian meetings in Miami
Axios reports that in Miami earlier this week, Vitkov met with Volodymyr Zelensky's national security adviser, Rustem Umerov. "We know that the Americans are working on something," the Ukrainian official said.
However, according to Ukrainian and American officials, although Vitkov was expected to meet with Zelensky today in Turkey, he postponed his trip.
"The president has made it clear that it is time to stop the killing and reach an agreement to end the war. President Trump believes there is a possibility of ending this pointless war if flexibility is shown," a White House official told Axios.
Russian Dmitriev told Axios that the main thrust was to take the principles agreed upon by Trump-Putin in Alaska and develop a proposal “for addressing the conflict in Ukraine, but also for how to restore relations between the US and Russia [and] address Russia’s security concerns.”
"This is actually a much broader framework, which basically says: 'How can we finally bring lasting security to Europe, not just to Ukraine,'" he said.
The goal, the Russian official says, is to draft a document with these guidelines before a new Trump-Putin meeting. Of course, plans for a summit between the two in Budapest have been "frozen," at least for now.
Dmitriev also stated that this effort is not related to the UK plan, which has no chance of success as Russian positions are ignored.
As he says, the US is now in the process of explaining the "advantages" of this approach to Ukraine and Europe.
A US official confirmed that the White House had begun briefing European officials, in addition to the Ukrainians, about the new plan. In fact, it is estimated that there is a possibility of convincing Europe and Kiev to participate, adding that the plan will be adjusted based on the views of the various parties.
"We believe the timing is right for this plan. However, both parties need to be practical and realistic," the US official said.
Source: iefimerida.gr
