US special envoy Steve Witkoff is preparing for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as efforts to end the war between Ukraine and Russia continue.
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also be in attendance. Both Witkoff and Kushner were involved in the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was feeling “very optimistic” about a potential peace deal between the two countries.
“This is sort of the shuttle diplomacy that you’ve seen from this administration play out, where we speak equally with both sides,” she said.
“We’ve put points on paper; those points have been very much refined.
“But we do feel quite good, and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.”
Trump’s peace plan became public in late November but appeared to be heavily geared towards Russia’s demands.
A later amended version emerged following talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed in Dublin on Monday for talks with Irish leaders, marking his first official visit to Ireland.
Zelenskyy was previously in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Ukrainian President spoke optimistically about the progress of revising the US-led peace plan following talks with the French President.
Zelenskyy said the proposed plan “looks better,” and the work will continue.
The meeting came just a day after US officials met with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday.
Following the talks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the session was productive, but work remains in the search for a deal.
Russia’s Defence Ministry released footage on Tuesday, claiming to show troops waiving a Russian flag in the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.
The current conflict has been going on for nearly four years, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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