"The problem is getting Putin and Zelensky in the same room"

Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated that he hoped a peace summit where President Zelensky and Putin would meet in person to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine would take place soon.

In an interview for Breitbart News, Witkoff confirmed that President Trump has "issued an ultimatum" to both parties, telling them that they must make progress towards a lasting peace, or else the United States will leave.

According to Witkoff: "The main points of contention concern five regions. Russia overwhelmingly controls two of them. The Ukrainians exercise some control over three other regions. So it comes down to assessing the situation: there's a difference between the front line, the position of troops, and administrative borders. We're discussing informally with both parties. We want to be straightforward and sit directly at the negotiating table, but we're discussing what Russia would accept in some of these areas. Would you be willing to pull back behind certain administrative borders? Same with the Ukrainians. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is at the heart of these discussions because it's a real gem and it has been shut down, but we need to reopen it as it provides a lot of electricity to some cities in Kyiv. These are the stakes, as it were. How is Ukraine going to access water and get its goods to markets? I think part of the problem lies in our inability to get both parties around the same table."

And he continues: "No deal can be struck without President Putin's approval. He's the leader of the Russian Federation, (...) we must speak to everyone."

(MH with D. Rodriguez - Source: Breitbart News - Photo: © DPA CNP -AdMedia)