US envoy signals momentum in Ukraine talks despite fresh setbacks

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said he held a “productive call” with European leaders to discuss next steps in President Donald Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, amid fresh challenges facing the peace negotiations this week, Bloomberg reports.

In a post on X, Witkoff said he, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, discussed “advancing the next steps in the European peace process.”

According to Witkoff, the talks focused on “strengthening security guarantees and developing effective deconfliction mechanisms to help end the war and ensure it does not restart.” He noted that security guarantees remain one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations, with Kyiv and its European allies arguing that a robust deterrent is essential to prevent renewed Russian aggression after any potential peace agreement.

“We also spent time on the prosperity package for Ukraine—how to continue defining, refining, and advancing these concepts so Ukraine can be successful, resilient, and truly thrive once the war is over,” Witkoff added.

The call included representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, and Witkoff said discussions would continue into the new year.

Rustem Umerov, a senior Ukrainian envoy, said he is preparing to organize a meeting with security officials from the United States and European partners on January 3.

The discussions come amid intensified diplomatic activity in recent weeks, as Trump seeks to secure an end to the war—an objective he pledged to achieve on his first day back in office.

Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida on December 28, with both leaders expressing cautious optimism about the negotiations. However, the US president stressed that further work remains and that he is not operating under a fixed timeline.

Zelenskyy told reporters he had asked Trump for security guarantees that could last as long as 50 years. Current proposals under consideration reportedly envisage a 15-year term, with the option of an extension.

Prospects for a deal suffered a setback on December 29 following a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said Russia would revise its negotiating position and alleged that Ukrainian drones had targeted his residence.

Ukraine has denied the allegations, describing them as a Russian fabrication aimed at undermining the peace talks. Trump, however, told reporters earlier this week that he was “very angry” about the reported incident.

By Vafa Guliyeva