President Donald Trump’s prime negotiator engaged on ending Russia’s warfare in Ukraine predicted Trump would have a “profitable” telephone name with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, saying he believed the dialog “will go a good distance in the direction of figuring out the place we’re and the way we full this negotiation.”
“I consider that the president goes to have a profitable name with — with Vladimir Putin,” U.S. particular envoy Steve Witkoff mentioned Sunday on “This Week.” “They know one another. The president is decided to get one thing finished right here … if he cannot do it, then no person can.”
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met in Turkey on Thursday for the primary direct talks associated to ending the warfare Russia began in February 2022 when it launched a full-scale invasion of its sovereign neighbor. A Ukrainian supply advised ABC Information after these talks that the Russians have been making unrealistic calls for. Every week prior, Vice President JD Vance had mentioned of the Russians, “We expect they’re asking for an excessive amount of.”
Requested if he shared Vance’s evaluation, Witkoff advised “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that his “evaluation is that this can be a very sophisticated battle that should not have occurred.”
“I feel in a negotiation like this, individuals take positions,” Witkoff mentioned. “The artwork right here is to slender … that, you realize, large berth between the events. And I feel to some extent we have finished that. To some extent every occasion is — is, you realize, staking out their positions. And I feel Monday will go a good distance in the direction of figuring out the place we’re and the way we full this negotiation.”
Trump introduced Saturday he’ll communicate with Putin over the telephone on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. The president mentioned he deliberate to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “numerous” NATO allies after his name with Putin.
Listed below are extra highlights from Witkoff’s interview:
Says Iranian uranium enrichment ‘very clear pink line’ in nuclear deal talks
Karl: Are you able to give us — give us the sense of what’s the define of the deal that President Trump desires to get with Iran?
Witkoff: Nicely, the president has been very clear, he desires to unravel this — this battle diplomatically and with dialogue. And he is given — he is given all of the indicators. He has straight despatched letters to the supreme chief. I’ve been dispatched to ship that message as properly, and I’ve delivered it. …
We now have one very, very clear pink line, and that’s enrichment. We can not permit even 1 p.c of an enrichment functionality. We have delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we predict addresses a few of this with out disrespecting them. … However all the things begins for our — from our standpoint, Jon, with a — a deal that doesn’t embody enrichment. We can not have that. As a result of enrichment allows weaponization. And we won’t permit a bomb to — to get right here.
However, in need of that, there are every kind of the way for us to realize our targets on this negotiation. We expect that we are going to be assembly someday this week in Europe. And we hope that it’s going to result in some actual positivity.
Says many ‘initiatives’ underway to deal with humanitarian scenario in Gaza
Karl: Are you pushing the Israelis to permit that help to come back in and — and to carry again on a few of the — the offensive operations that proceed to be ongoing in Gaza?
Witkoff: The president, Jon, is a humanitarian. And I feel that any — everybody is anxious concerning the humanitarian situations in Gaza. That mentioned, it’s a very sophisticated scenario there. Logistically, we’re — I do not suppose there’s any daylight between President Trump’s place and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s place. The difficulty now could be — I feel the difficulty now could be, how will we logistically get all of these vans into Gaza? How will we arrange the help stations? There are various issues — initiatives that we’re engaged on to deal with this. There — there are going to be cell kitchens which might be going to be despatched in there. The flour — we’ve got vans with flour ready on the border. The Israelis have indicated that they will start to permit much more of those vans to get in. However it’s sophisticated. It’s logistically sophisticated.
Dismisses ethics considerations over Qatar gifting 747-8 jet for Air Power One
Witkof: It is a completely authorized, authorities to authorities, Division of Protection, to Division of Protection transaction that occurs within the regular course and has been taking place within the regular course all through — all through our existence. Governments alternate providers. … They (the Qataris) determined to donate one thing due to all of the fantastic issues that we have finished for them prior to now, and along with that, they then, on prime of that, introduced $1.2 trillion price of investments into america of America, which can create jobs and do every kind of fantastic issues.
So, I do not actually — I am unsure how anybody would see this because the Qataris seeking to acquire some kind of benefit. … I simply need to say, that is to the good thing about america of America that — that donation. So, it — it simply must be seen as that method.
