United States special envoy Steve Witkoff said that 'the elephant in the room' for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is the status of Crimea and four mainland Ukrainian regions 'occupied' by Russia, CNN reported.
He made the remarks during the interview with podcast host Tucker Carlson.
Witkoff also reflected on the 'warming up' of ties between the US and Russia, saying President Putin had commissioned a portrait of Donald Trump and sent it to him.
He noted that the administration was making progress 'that no one thought was possible' with Russia but that issues of territory still needed ironing out.
The four mainland regions were 'illegally annexed' during the conflict.
Kremlin has since staged referenda on joining Russia in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Kyiv and the international community decried as a propaganda exercise, but which Witkoff claimed was evidence of their desire to split from Ukraine, as reported by CNN.
"They're Russian-speaking," Witkoff said of the four eastern regions.
"There have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule."
Witkoff, who is Trump's Middle East envoy and is also playing a key role in the peace talks with Russia, said the 'constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede... with regard to territory' had become 'the elephant in the room' during negotiations.
Notably, talks are set to resume Monday in Saudi Arabia, with US officials set to meet officials from both Russia and Ukraine. -- ANI
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances
