Vitkoff named Putin's conditions for negotiations: Ukraine may have to concede.

Trump's special representative for the war in Ukraine is conducting negotiations

U.S. representative Steve Vitkoff stated that negotiations between the U.S. and Russia regarding the war in Ukraine are focusing on five Ukrainian regions that Russia has included in its constitution. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

These regions include the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. In an interview, Vitkoff said that during the negotiations, Russia was particularly interested in these Ukrainian regions. He also suggested that Russia may obtain some of these regions, but not all.

When you start looking at these five regions - Russia cares about them, and by the way, so does Ukraine. But if some of them are more Russian-speaking - they are less important to Ukraine, right? - said Vitkoff.

It became known that Vitkoff arrived in Russia for a meeting with Putin on April 11. According to Russian media, the negotiations lasted 4.5 hours. On April 14, Vitkoff confirmed that a peace agreement with Russia involves discussions about five territories, but did not specify which ones.

Currently, Russia occupies Crimea and part of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions based on illegal legal decisions.

Vitkoff also described the Russian-Ukrainian war as a complex situation arising from real problems between the two states. In response to this statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide issues concerning their territories, as Ukraine is a sovereign state.

During his visit, Vitkoff also met with the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt stated that Vitkoff's negotiations with Putin are considered an important step towards a ceasefire.