US envoy Steve Witkoff said resolving the status of Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia is key to ending the war in Ukraine, appearing to be a departure from Washington's long-standing position of rejecting Moscow's annexation of the region.
In a wide-ranging interview with American conservative media personality Tucker Carlson published on March 22, Vitkoff said that negotiations over the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Crimea will likely determine the resolution of the conflict, Radio Free Europe's English-language service reports.
Russia has said that part of the reason it launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was to "protect" Russian-speakers in the eastern regions, which border Russia.
Many experts disagree with that assessment, saying that Russia's imperial ambitions are fueling the conflict.
"That's the elephant in the room," Vitkoff said. "Once that's resolved, we're having a very, very positive conversation."
Seven months after the invasion began, the Kremlin declared four eastern Ukrainian regions annexed and part of Russia, following a referendum vote that the Kremlin insisted was an expression of the true will of the voters.
The vote took place even though the regions were only partially occupied by Russian forces, run by proxy administrators installed by Russia, and several million potential voters from the region were displaced and unable to vote.
Shortly after the vote, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia's annexation of the region, while then-US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated Washington's position that the United States would never recognize "sham" referendums.
Trump and his team have repeatedly said that Ukraine will have to make concessions on the land issue to secure a peace deal to end the more than three-year-old war. Russia currently controls about 20 percent of Ukraine, including large parts of four disputed regions.
Witkoff appeared to distance himself from the position of the Biden administration and the international community at large, telling Carlson that "there have been referendums [organized by Moscow] where the overwhelming majority of people have indicated they want to be under Russian rule."
"The question is, will the world recognize that these are Russian territories?"
Kiev has consistently rejected Russian claims of annexation of Ukrainian territory, as well as referendums.
"There are constitutional issues in Ukraine in terms of what they can agree to when we're talking about giving up territory," Witkoff added.
"Can [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky survive politically if he admits this?"
Vitkoff, who is actively involved in diplomatic efforts regarding the conflict in Ukraine, said he remains hopeful after a recent round of high-level contacts, including phone calls between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.
"I am very, very optimistic that we will be able to bring the two sides together," he said.
Vitkoff has been actively involved in diplomatic efforts regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and was in Russia last week to meet with Putin.
The two men spoke for several hours. Witkoff said his message to Putin was that he and Trump "will be two great leaders who will resolve this conflict."
Separately, Witkoff said it was important to end Putin's political isolation in order to end the conflict. Western leaders cut off contact with the Russian president shortly after the war began in February 2022.
"How can we resolve a conflict with someone who is at the head of a major nuclear power if we don't establish trust and good feelings for each other," said Witkoff.
He said that during their meeting, Putin presented him with a portrait of Trump done by a top artist. He also said that Putin told him that he had prayed for Trump after he was nearly killed in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July 2024 while campaigning for president.
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