Witkoff: Russians Made Certain Concessions in Negotiations Regarding Five Regions, but Ukraine's NATO Membership Unacceptable

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, gave a new comment in an interview with CNN, revealing that Russian negotiators showed readiness for certain concessions regarding five Ukrainian regions that Russia considers its territory.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions in 2022 after internationally unrecognized referendums.

"The Russians made certain concessions in negotiations regarding all five regions," Witkoff said.

He specifically highlighted Donetsk as a key issue that, according to him, will be the focus of tomorrow's talks in Washington, where US President Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.

"Donetsk is an important topic of discussion. I hope we can break down barriers tomorrow and make some concrete decisions on the spot," Witkoff said.

Witkoff clarified that the agreement is conceived as a bypass of Russia's red line – Ukraine's membership in NATO. Instead of formal accession to the Alliance, the US and European countries would offer security guarantees with a formulation "similar to Article 5," which obliges all members to mutual defense.

He added that Putin made it clear that Ukraine's membership in NATO is unacceptable, but that they started negotiations from the assumption that Ukrainians might agree to an alternative.

"Everything depends on what the Ukrainians can live with. But starting from that, we managed to get this concession – that the US can offer protection similar to Article 5," he said.

Witkoff emphasized that this is "the first time we have heard the Russians agree" to such a clause in any peace agreement.

For now, the Russian president and other officials have not publicly commented on the interpretation of the negotiations given by the Trump administration.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russia and Ukraine will have to make concessions if they want to reach a peace agreement.

"Both sides want things they will not be able to get," Rubio said. "It may not even be possible for the United States to create a scenario that would end the war in Ukraine."

Nevertheless, he emphasized that security guarantees for Ukraine must be discussed, which he considers a key element of any possible agreement.

He also added that the US administration has seen enough progress to justify continuing talks with Zelensky.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the Catholic Church, commented on X regarding the announced talks.

"We pray that efforts to end wars and promote peace will bear fruit, and that the common good of the people will always be prioritized in negotiations," wrote Pope Leo XIV.