Putin aide says Moscow, Washington 'making progress' on Ukrainian settlement

MOSCOW

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday that Moscow and Washington are making progress on the Ukrainian settlement.

Speaking in an interview with the Russiz Zvezda TV channel, Ushakov said Moscow is ready to continue working with American negotiators on the settlement in Ukraine.

"We are making progress. This gives us hope, and we are ready to keep working with this American team," he said.

The Kremlin is currently awaiting a reaction from American counterparts following the discussion that took place on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he noted.

The date of the next contact is yet to be scheduled, including a phone talk between the Russian and US presidents, he added.

"You see, this can all be easily organized. Remember how the Anchorage summit was arranged in just three days, and everything was agreed upon. As soon as the prerequisites for communication between the presidents, either by phone or in person, are established, everything will be done fairly quickly," he explained.

Asked about the EU position, Ushakov said Europeans continually raise demands that are unacceptable to Moscow and do not contribute to achieving a settlement on the Ukrainian issue.

On Dec. 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The meeting lasted five hours, during which they thoroughly discussed the settlement of the situation in Ukraine.

Specific formulations of the US peace plan were not discussed during Putin's meeting with Witkoff; instead, they focused on the substance of the documents, Ushakov told reporters. According to him, territorial issues were specifically discussed.