US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has stated that the United States is “very close” to brokering a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, modeled after the Istanbul Protocol Agreement, to end the ongoing war.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Witkoff emphasized that the war should never have happened and that regardless of who initiated it, a resolution must now be reached.
“The war didn’t need to happen. It was provoked. That doesn’t necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians,” Witkoff said.
He pointed to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a key factor in escalating tensions.
“There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. The president has spoken about this. That didn’t need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians,” he added.
Witkoff highlighted past negotiations that nearly led to a resolution, referencing the Istanbul Protocol Agreement.
“There were very, very cogent and substantive negotiations framed in what’s called the Istanbul Protocol Agreement. We came very, very close to signing something, and I think we’ll be using that framework as a guidepost to finalize a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. That will be an amazing day.”
On Trump’s role in the negotiations, Witkoff stressed the urgency of ending the war.
“We’ve had close to 1.5 million deaths, and finally, we have a leader determined to end the carnage,” he said.
US-Ukraine Tensions at the UN
Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Kyiv are escalating over a UN resolution on Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine.
According to US and European diplomats, the US has pressured Ukraine to withdraw its European-backed UN resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces. Instead, Washington has proposed an alternative resolution that omits any direct mention of Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine, however, has refused to pull its draft resolution, and the UN General Assembly is set to vote on it Monday, marking the third anniversary of the war. Two European diplomats confirmed that the 193-nation assembly will then likely vote on the US-backed draft as well.
The Trump administration is also pushing for a vote on its resolution in the more influential UN Security Council. The 15-member council will meet Monday afternoon to discuss Ukraine, with a vote expected immediately afterward. However, European diplomats noted that Russia has requested a delay, which could push the vote to Tuesday.
These dueling resolutions—the first since the war began—underscore growing friction between the US, Ukraine, and European allies. Since taking office five weeks ago, President Trump has initiated direct talks with Russia, breaking years of diplomatic isolation in an effort to bring the conflict to an end.
