Ushakov summarizes Putin's meeting with US Envoy Witkoff

On Thursday evening, a meeting took place in the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, along with Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House Senior Advisor and economic affairs specialist Josh Gruenbaum, who served as a negotiator for the first time, according to Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov.

"The talks lasted about four hours and were exceptionally substantive, constructive, and, I would say, extremely frank and trusting",

Yuri Ushakov said.

Ushakov recalled that the US representatives had flown in from Davos, where they had participated in events with US President Donald Trump until the very last minute, including those related to the Ukrainian settlement.

According to Yuri Ushakov, Witkoff and his colleagues spoke directly about their impressions of Donald Trump's meeting with Zelensky in Davos, which they also attended. Furthermore, the US representatives assessed other contacts that took place in December and January at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and in several European capitals.

"Overall, I would say that the Russian President's meeting with American representatives was specifically focused on obtaining information from the Americans' contacts with Ukrainians and European partners and, together, determining the parameters for further action",

Yuri Ushakov said.

He noted that the meeting concluded with an agreement to take a new step in this direction: holding the first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues in Abu Dhabi todayб , which will include representatives from Russia, the USA, and Ukraine. Additionally, a session of the bilateral economic group, headed by Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff, is also scheduled to take place at the same location.

"Our security negotiating group has already been formed and will depart for the UAE in the coming hours. It includes representatives of the Ministry of Defense leadership, led by Admiral Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff",

Yuri Ushakov said.

The presidential aide emphasized that it was reiterated during the discussions that a long-term settlement cannot be achieved without addressing the territorial issue in accordance with the formula established during the Anchorage talks.

"As emphasized by Vladimir Putin, we are genuinely committed to addressing the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic channels. However, until a resolution is reached, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the goals set for the special military operation on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative",

Yuri Ushakov stated.

According to him, other topics were also discussed during the overnight meeting, such as Donald Trump's initiative to create a "Board of Peace", regional issues, and Greenland.

According to the Russian Presidential Aide, during the discussion of the Board of Peace, Putin emphasized Russia's willingness to allocate $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the Biden administration to its budget. This issue will be further discussed by the bilateral economic group, Ushakov added.

Ushakov also emphasized that the discussion regarding the advancement of relations between Russia and the USA was considered conceptually, based on an understanding of the enormous potential for cooperation in various areas between Moscow and Washington.

"US representatives are already making specific plans that could be implemented after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved",

Yuri Ushakov said.

Regarding today's meeting of the working group on security issues, an aide to the Russian leader highlighted the considerable efforts undertaken by the United States in its preparation. He emphasized that the American delegation is optimistic about the meeting's success and believes it may pave the way for advancements on all matters concerning the resolution of the conflict and reaching an agreement on a peaceful settlement.