The US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, during a visit to Moscow on August 6, presented the Russian side with a "very advantageous offer" to end the war in Ukraine.
Polish media outlet Onet claims to have learned the details of this offer.
According to journalists, the American proposals include the following:
- ceasefire in Ukraine, not peace;
- de facto recognition of the territories occupied by Russia (due to the postponement of this issue for 49 or 99 years);
- the lifting of most sanctions imposed on Russia, and in the long term, the resumption of energy cooperation, i.e. the import of Russian gas and oil.
At the same time, the package of proposals lacks guarantees of non-expansion of NATO, which Russia constantly demands.
Moscow also received no promises that military support for Ukraine would be stopped. However, according to Onet, the latter point seems to be acceptable to the Russians.
UPD at 6:30 PM: The advisor to the President of Ukraine Dmytro Lytvyn denies the Onet report.
"It is doubtful that Witkoff or Ushakov had time to talk to this portal. Yesterday, nothing like this was said in the leadersʼ conversation, and Witkoff didnʼt say anything like that, he said other things," he wrote in X.
What preceded
The US President Donald Trumpʼs special representative Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on August 6, after which Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone. The American leader described the meeting in Moscow as "significant progress".
The NYT later reported that Trump wants to meet Putin in person next week. And shortly after the personal meeting with Putin, he plans to hold a trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin. Trump himself noted that there is a “good chance” of a meeting with Putin and Zelensky.
On August 7, Zelensky confirmed that the previous day they had discussed potential formats for peace meetings at the leadership level in the near future. We are talking about two bilateral formats and one trilateral one.
Putin said that his meeting with Trump could take place in the UAE. Regarding the meeting with Zelensky, he noted that he “generally has nothing against it”, but that “appropriate conditions” must be created for this — and they are still far from being created.
- Trump said on July 29 that Washington would impose new tariffs and secondary sanctions against Russia within ten days if Moscow does not agree with Ukraine on a ceasefire. That is, Russia has a deadline of August 8. The Kremlin has repeatedly violated American deadlines, and Trump has already threatened Russia with sanctions against it several times, but has never imposed them.
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