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Trump’s Envoy Witkoff: Peace Deal in Ukraine Is About Five Territories, But Goes Beyond That
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for US President Donald Trump, has revealed new details about his recent visit to Russia, describing a lengthy conversation with Vladimir Putin focused on ending the war in Ukraine through a deal centered around control of “five territories,” Witkoff told Fox News in an interview on April 14.
“It’s a complicated situation,” Witkoff said. “Some real problematic things are happening between two countries. But I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large.”
The nearly five-hour discussion in St. Petersburg, which took place last week, centered on what Witkoff described as “compelling” ideas for ending the war—ideas that also included “business opportunities” and efforts to reshape US-Russia relations through commercial cooperation.
According to Witkoff, Putin concluded the meeting by expressing a desire for “permanent peace.”
“This peace deal is about these so-called five territories, but there’s so much more to it,” Witkoff emphasized, hinting at broader geopolitical stakes.
While he did not name the regions, Russia has consistently insisted that any peace agreement must recognize its control over Ukrainian territories seized since 2014, including Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
The interview also revealed that discussions touched on Article 5 of the NATO charter, which holds that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all. In the past, Putin has demanded guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, framing the alliance as a threat to Russian security.
While no formal agreement was reached, Witkoff expressed cautious optimism, suggesting that the meeting marked a step toward de-escalation.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed that Ukraine will not recognize Russian control over occupied territories, emphasizing that the country’s laws prevent any such concession.
“Judicially, we will not recognize … our occupied territory like territory of Russia. We will never do it,” Zelenskyy said in English.
“Yes, we have to return it diplomatically. Yes, we can. If we are in NATO, it’s understandable why diplomatically, it’s very understandable,” he said, underlining the importance of minimizing human losses.
Earlier, Trump said he was told that Russia had “made a mistake” by launching the Palm Sunday strike on Sumy, which killed at least 35 people.
