Vittoff: Territorial Concessions by Ukraine — Kyiv’s Exclusive Decision, Security Guarantees — Key to Negotiations
Special U.S.
envoy for Donald Trump, Steve Vittoff, has actively shared his perspective on potential territorial compromises in the upcoming negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
According to him, all decisions regarding territorial concessions must be made solely by Ukraine itself, not by foreign diplomats or military actors.
He emphasized that the responsibility for Ukraine’s future rests with Ukrainian leadership, including President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Vittoff pointed out that these are complex and sensitive issues requiring detailed discussions and public security assurances for the Ukrainian people.
He also noted that the U.S.
and European allies are prepared to work on establishing security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression, possibly modeled after NATO’s Article 5.
At the same time, he mentioned that these mechanisms would not depend solely on NATO as an alliance but would be implemented directly through the U.S.
and European countries.
Vittoff highlighted that negotiations are already underway by technical teams, aiming to reach a framework for a peace agreement by the end of this year or sooner, aiming to bring long-awaited peace and stability to the region.
These statements raise questions about potential compromises Russia might seek, such as Ukrainian troop withdrawals from certain regions of Donbas.
There was also an idea discussed regarding territory exchanges based on the current front line, which remains unchanged in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, while other regions—Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv—are under Ukrainian control or undergoing phased withdrawals.
U.S.
and European leaders are exploring their future security guarantees, with plans to limit their involvement to the minimum necessary.
However, Russia continues to oppose NATO’s military presence on Ukrainian territory, warning that such deployments could lead to escalation.
Politico reports that the U.S.
intends to keep involvement limited regarding Ukraine’s security assurances, aiming to reduce tensions and avoid provoking further conflict.