US special envoy Steve Witkoff has expressed optimism ahead of high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia to end the war in Ukraine and said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to end the three-year-old conflict.
"I feel that he wants peace," Witkoff told Fox News on Sunday.
A US delegation is due to hold talks later on Sunday in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian officials on a possible partial ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. US and Russian officials will then hold talks on Monday, also in Saudi Arabia.
"I think that you're going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that, you'll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire," Witkoff said.
Putin agreed last week to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal. Ukraine accepted Trump's 30-day proposal.
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‘We are only at the beginning’
On the other hand, the Kremlin downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution to the Ukraine conflict, saying talks were just beginning and that "difficult negotiations" lay ahead.
"We are only at the beginning of this path," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV on Sunday.
He said there were many outstanding "questions" and "nuances" over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented.
"There are difficult negotiations ahead," Peskov said in the interview, published on social media.
Peskov said Russia's "main" focus in its talks with the United States would be discussing a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian agricultural exports in the Black Sea.
"On Monday we mainly intend to discuss President Putin's agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem," Peskov said.
