Trump Sends Envoy to Moscow as Ukraine Signals Readiness to Finalize Peace Deal

By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has dispatched his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to finalize a long-negotiated peace agreement, after Ukraine signaled its acceptance of the deal with only “minor details” left unresolved.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said, “In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow, and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians.” He added that the original 28-point peace plan—drafted by the United States—had been adjusted with input from both sides, leaving only a small number of issues still under discussion.

Trump noted that his team had made “tremendous progress” in the past week and said he hopes to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky soon, but only once the deal is finalized or in its final phase.

According to a US Army statement, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll held talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday to further develop the draft agreement. “Late Monday and throughout Tuesday, Secretary Driscoll and team have been in discussions with the Russian delegation to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine,” Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert said.

Zelensky also addressed the evolving plan on Tuesday, saying that the US-Ukrainian proposal developed in Geneva could form the basis for “deeper agreements.” He said Ukraine’s negotiating team had reviewed the document and stressed, “The principles in this document can be developed into deeper agreements. And it is in our shared interest that security is real.” Zelensky added that he hopes cooperation with the US and President Trump will remain active as the negotiations advance.

Earlier, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said Zelensky wants to meet directly with Trump to finalize a joint agreement outlining the conditions to end the conflict. Yermak noted that Ukrainian and US negotiators had reached agreement in principle on most aspects of the US-drafted peace plan, though the document has undergone substantial revisions since the original 28-point proposal. He added that Zelensky intends to negotiate territorial issues personally with Trump.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France and Britain will launch a workshop—coordinated with the United States—to develop security guarantees for Ukraine. Macron made the comments after a video conference of the “Coalition of the Willing,” a grouping of about 30 countries that support Ukraine, also attended by Zelensky and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Macron said the coming days would be used to determine the specific contributions of countries prepared to offer guarantees once a ceasefire is in place. He also said France and other EU states are developing a plan to provide additional financial support to Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Macron told RTL that France could consider sending troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire as part of “reassurance forces,” potentially alongside British and Turkish units. However, he emphasized that “the first security guarantee” for Ukraine will remain its own armed forces.