Negotiations to end hostilities in Ukraine ‘only one bottleneck left’

Steve Witkoff, special envoy of US President Donald Trump, revealed on January 22 that the parties in the negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have recently achieved many “encouraging” progress.

“We have narrowed it down to a single issue and the parties have discussed many versions of that problem. This means that the bottleneck can be resolved. If both sides want to solve it, we will succeed,” he said at an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland.

Mr. Witkoff did not specify what the remaining bottlenecks were in the negotiation process, but the most difficult content so far mentioned by the parties was concessions and territorial division once the fighting ended.

Russia asked Ukraine to cede control of the entire eastern Donbass region. However, Ukrainian forces on the ground are holding about 20% of Donetsk province in this area, including two key “fortress cities” that experts say could take Russia many years to control by military means.

Ukraine firmly rejects the possibility of giving up its territory. Ukraine’s leaders have repeatedly argued that they are still bound by the constitution, which requires holding a referendum on proposals to cede territory. This process cannot take place while the country is still in a state of war.

Special envoy Witkoff is expected to arrive in Moscow on January 22 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that two US representatives will come to Moscow to discuss “settlement of the Ukraine issue and related topics”.

However, Mr. Peskov refused to comment on the level of optimism expressed by Mr. Witkoff before the visit. He said President Putin “appreciates” and welcomes mediation efforts from US President Donald Trump and his team.

A day earlier, President Trump said in Davos that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine “would be foolish not to sit down and reach an agreement”, adding that the end of hostilities “is very close”.

The day before, Mr. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, met negotiator Rustem Umerov from Ukraine. Umerov revealed that the discussion focused on economic development, post-war plans for Ukraine and security guarantees.

President Zelensky today left for Davos to attend WEF, where he is scheduled to meet President Trump at 1 p.m. (7 p.m. Hanoi time).