Trump advisers met Putin's envoy in Paris to discuss Ukraine plan
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L-R: Kushner, Dmitriev and Witkoff in Moscow in December. Photo: Kristina Kormilitsyna/AFP via Getty
President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Wednesday in Paris with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss the U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine, according to a source with knowledge.
Why it matters: After reaching an agreement with Ukraine on almost all aspects of Trump's plan, the White House wants to get a clear response from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the proposal.
- So far, Putin has not shown any public indications that he's ready to agree to, or even seriously consider, the deal the U.S. and Ukraine have been negotiating.
- French newspaper Le Monde first reported on Wednesday that Dmitriev was spotted near the U.S. embassy in Paris. The White House and Dmitriev's spokesperson declined to comment.
Driving the news: The meeting with Putin's envoy took place after Witkoff and Kushner held two days of negotiations with senior Ukrainian and European officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the U.K., France and Germany.
- Those talks focused on two main sticking points: security guarantees for Ukraine and possible territorial concessions by Ukraine in the eastern Donbas region.
- Zelensky said Thursday that the U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees agreement is "essentially ready for finalization at the highest level," with Trump.
- "Complex issues from the basic framework for ending the war were addressed, and the Ukrainian side presented possible options for finalizing this document," Zelensky said, regarding the negotiations on territory.
What to watch: Zelensky said Ukraine was informed that the U.S. will engage with Russia regarding the current proposal.
- "It is necessary that pressure on Russia continues to increase at the same intensity as the work of our negotiating teams," Zelensky said.
What's next: Ukrainian officials told Axios there's a possibility Zelensky will travel to the U.S. next week to meet Trump and finalize the security guarantees deal. Another option is for the two to meet during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
