U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff joins CNN’s Jake Tapper on ‘State of the Union’ to share how his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin went, and how developments toward a potential ceasefire are going.

Washington

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff characterized the meeting, which lasted between three and four hours, as positive and focused on finding solutions to ongoing conflicts. Amidst the discussions, questions were raised about Russia's demands, which purportedly include Ukraine relinquishing control over seized regions and international recognition of Russian-occupied territories. However, Witkoff indicated that these descriptions were not entirely accurate.

The dialogue between the U.S. and Russia has reportedly narrowed the differences between the two sides. Efforts to progress were previously made during discussions led by U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Walz, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, notably in Saudi Arabia. According to Witkoff, these efforts have yielded positive outcomes, and current talks with Putin represent further advancement. The focus now shifts to working through these differences with various stakeholders, including Ukraine and European countries like France, Britain, Norway, and Finland.

Despite questions around Russia's ambitions, Witkoff remains positive about the discussions, noting the development towards a ceasefire. According to Witkoff, discussions are ongoing with all relevant parties, including European nations and Ukraine, regarding critical regions and other potential ceasefire elements.



Trump envoy on his meeting with Putin

I met with President Putin. I think the meeting was somewhere between three and four hours. It was positive. We discussed, it was a solution-based discussion and that's how I would describe it. So as we understand it, and please correct us if we're wrong, Putin's demands include one, the complete surrender of Ukrainian forces in Kursk, that's that Russian region that Ukraine seized, two, international recognition that Ukrainian territory seized by Russia no longer belongs to Ukraine, three, limits on Ukraine's ability to mobilize its military, and four, a halt to Western military aid to Ukraine and a ban on foreign peacekeepers such as French or British soldiers in Ukraine. Is that accurate? And if that is accurate, it does sound as though Putin wants to keep the land that he seized and then he wants Ukraine to not be able to defend itself in the future. Is Trump worried that accepting these conditions might just set the stage for another Russian invasion of Ukraine? Jake, I would not call your description entirely accurate. Look, back before this visit, there was another visit and before that visit, the two sides were miles apart in where they were. The two sides are today a lot closer. We had some really positive results coming out of Saudi Arabia, discussions led by our National Security Advisor, Mike Walz, and our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. I describe my conversation with President Putin as equally positive. So the two sides have, we've narrowed the differences between them, and now we're sitting at the table. I was with the President all day yesterday, I'll be with him today. We're sitting with him, discussing how to narrow it even further. That's how I would describe it. Can you tell us where they are right now? The four points I just outlined might be a meeting or two old. Where is Russia right now? No, I think the four regions are of critical importance here, and we're in discussions with Ukraine. We're in discussions with all the stakeholder European countries. So that includes France, Britain, Norway, Finland, the whole host. And we're in discussions with the Russians, too, about those regions. We're also in discussions about all kinds of other elements that would be encompassed in a ceasefire.

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Ukraine Invasion