U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about upcoming high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in ending the three-year-old conflict. "I feel that he wants peace," Witkoff stated.
A U.S. delegation is set to meet with Ukrainian officials later on Sunday in Saudi Arabia to discuss a potential partial ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. U.S. and Russian officials will subsequently hold discussions on Monday.
"I think we’ll see some real progress in Saudi Arabia on Monday, particularly regarding a Black Sea ceasefire for ships between both countries. This could lead to a more comprehensive shooting ceasefire," Witkoff noted.
Russia agreed last week to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities but did not endorse a full 30-day ceasefire that President Trump had proposed as a first step toward a permanent peace agreement. Ukraine accepted Trump's 30-day proposal.
When asked about Western criticism of Putin, Witkoff remarked that there are two sides to every story and downplayed concerns among NATO allies that a deal could embolden Moscow to invade other neighbors. "I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe. This is a much different situation than it was in World War Two," he said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has terminated a government-funded initiative led by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, which tracked the mass deportation of children from Ukraine, as it cuts a wide range of U.S. government programs and most foreign aid.
White House national security advisor Mike Waltz noted that U.S. discussions during the Russia-Ukraine talks would focus on confidence-building measures, including the fate of Ukrainian children taken into Russia during the conflict. "We’re talking through a number of confidence-building measures. That’s one of them," Waltz told CBS News.
Ukraine has labeled the abductions of tens of thousands of its children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of their families or guardians as a war crime and a violation of the U.N. treaty definition of genocide. Russia, however, claims it has been evacuating people voluntarily and protecting vulnerable children from the war zone.
Regarding the broader negotiations, Waltz indicated that following an agreement on a Black Sea ceasefire, discussions would shift to the line of control, which concerns the actual front lines. "That gets into the details of verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, and freezing the lines where they are. Then, of course, we’ll discuss the broader and permanent peace," he explained.