Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Russia is conducting all negotiations over a potential settlement to the Ukraine conflict exclusively with the United States, a senior Kremlin aide confirmed on Wednesday. Presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov said that every aspect of a future agreement, including its international recognition, is now part of a bilateral dialogue between Moscow and Washington.
Ushakov described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday as “substantive” and “positive in tone.” The talks reportedly included discussions of Russia’s responses to U.S. peace proposals, battlefield developments, and broader strategic concerns.
“The success of the Russian army on the battlefield has positively influenced the nature and tone of the talks,” Ushakov said. He added that Washington has expressed readiness to consider Russian perspectives in the settlement process.
Among the key topics raised during the meeting was Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO. “This is one of the key issues, you know. It was discussed. I cannot give details,” Ushakov told reporters.
Ushakov stressed that contacts between Russia and European countries are not opposed by Moscow, but that European leaders have largely refused engagement. “Putin has repeatedly said that if any European leaders want to talk, please, they are welcome, come to Moscow, and we will continue contacts. There is no negative attitude from our side toward the continuation of contacts,” he said.
The Kremlin official also expressed hope that European NATO members and Ukraine would eventually adopt what he described as a “more adequate and realistic view of the situation.” He suggested that reason would prevail in negotiations, citing Russian battlefield successes despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s contradictory statements on front-line conditions.
The announcement underscores a significant shift in the diplomatic landscape, with Moscow signaling that it sees Washington as the primary interlocutor for any potential resolution of Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.
