Witkoff: The main problem of negotiations on Ukraine is the issue of territories

The key problem of the Ukrainian settlement is the status of the regions controlled by Russia, US Presidential special envoy Steven Witkoff said in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson.

"I think the biggest problem in this conflict are the so-called four regions: Donbass, Crimea, you know the names — Lugansk and two others. These are Russian-speaking regions, referendums were held there, in which the overwhelming majority of people expressed a desire to be under Russian control. I think this is a key issue in the conflict," he said.

Crimea became part of Russia following the results of the 2014 referendum, the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions — 2022. Ukraine does not recognize them as Russian. Moscow demanded the recognition of these territories as part of Russia at the international level in order to start the peace process.

Witkoff noted that Russia will have conditions that it will set "for a final cease-fire." He connected one of them with the situation in the Kursk region, where, according to him, Ukrainian troops are "surrounded." In March, Russia launched an offensive in the area of Sudzha and nearby settlements captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and liberated dozens of them, including the city.

On March 14, US President Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "spare" the Ukrainian soldiers who were surrounded in the Kursk region. To this, Putin replied that if the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine lay down their arms and surrender, they "will be guaranteed life and decent treatment in accordance with the norms of international law and the laws" of Russia.

Putin himself called the "insertion" of Ukrainian troops into the territory of the Kursk region one of the "nuances" that need clarification before Moscow agrees to a cease-fire on Ukraine. Two other questions related to the complexity of monitoring compliance with the truce and whether to go to Ukraine is being mobilized during this period and whether it will receive weapons these days.