US President Donald Trump believes that the Russian side will agree to the terms of the Ukrainian conflict settlement.
"We've had some pretty good news coming out of Russia," he told journalists at the Joint Base Andrews near Washington before departing for Florida. "I feel that Russia is going to make a deal with us, I hope," the US leader added. He did not specify what news he was speaking of.
"We've spoken with President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin," Trump said, referring to the conversation between the Russian leader and US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. "We've spoken with a lot of people. And Ukraine is waiting," he added.
"I'm getting, from the standpoint about a ceasefire and ultimately a deal, some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia," Trump emphasized. He did not share any details.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said that Putin had received US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff late on Thursday and asked him to pass along a message to President Trump. The spokesperson did not disclose the topics of the conversation between Putin and Witkoff. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on 12 March that Witkoff would travel to Moscow to discuss ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that following the return of Witkoff to the US that members of the US administration would "examine the Russian position more closely." According to Rubio, Trump "will then determine what the next steps" the US will take in regard to the settlement are.
Ceasefire discussions:
On 11 March, negotiations took place in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah between delegations from the United States and Ukraine. Following these discussions, Ukraine decided to accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. In turn, Washington agreed to immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume military assistance to Kiev. The parties also agreed to sign the agreement on the extraction of Ukrainian minerals as soon as possible.
On 13 March, Putin expressed gratitude to Trump for his involvement in the peace negotiations and endorsed the idea of a ceasefire. However, the Russian president mentioned several critical issues regarding the status of Ukrainian military personnel who had invaded the Kursk Region, the mechanisms for monitoring the ceasefire, and Ukraine's potential actions during this period. He stated that Moscow was open to proposals for ending hostilities in Ukraine, provided they paved the way for long-term peace and addressed the root causes of the crisis.
