Last night in Washington, in an interview with CNN, Dmitriev said that the planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was not cancelled, but only postponed. “The meeting will be held later,” he said, denying the US president’s earlier statement that the summit was canceled due to lack of progress in peace talks.
Trump announced earlier this week that he was pulling out of the Budapest meeting, saying “the timing wasn’t right” because Russia was refusing an immediate ceasefire.
Dmitriyev, who met Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow in April, said he saw a shift in Kiev’s attitude. “It is a big move by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that he admits that the front lines are being discussed now. His earlier position was that Russia must withdraw completely, so I think we are now really close to an agreement,” he said.
According to diplomatic sources in Europe, several EU countries are working with Ukraine on a new proposal that would include a ceasefire along existing conflict lines, while insisting that the US maintain a leading role in the negotiations.
Dmitriyev arrived in Washington at the moment when the US introduced new sanctions on the two largest Russian oil companies with the aim of putting pressure on Moscow. However, he emphasized that the dialogue between the two countries will not be interrupted.
“Despite the sanctions, talks will continue. I believe there is room for diplomacy,” Putin’s envoy concluded.
(Vijesti.ba)
