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By Brendan Cole and Shane Croucher
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Negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine are "down to one issue," U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has said, adding that he feels "encouraged" and "optimistic" because of the progress made.
After his comments, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would not comment on the state of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
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Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian foreign ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Witkoff's shuttle diplomacy to spearhead Washington's efforts for a peace deal in Ukraine has so far yielded little progress as sticking points remain over the division of territory.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede control of the eastern Donbas region. But Kyiv's forces still control around 20 percent of Donetsk oblast within it, including two key fortress cities that could take Russia years to conquer.
Witkoff's comments suggest that there could be a breakthrough on this issue as the war is about to head into its fifth year.
What To Know
Speaking at an event in Davos on Thursday, Witkoff said regarding a solution to end the war in Ukraine there was one issue, and that it was "solvable."
He did not specify which issue, but Russia has called for Ukraine to give up the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts which comprise the Donbas region. Ukraine also says it is constitutionally bound to hold a referendum on ceding territory, which it cannot do during a war.
The U.S. envoy praised Ukraine for its "amazing negotiating team" with whom he estimated he had spent more than 100 hours in discussions, and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was always available and accessible to talk when needed.
Witkoff's comments were more optimistic than those of President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday at Davos that "oftentimes we’ll have a deal with Russia, Russia’s set, and President Zelensky will not do it."
When asked about Witkoff's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that he would not comment on the current stage of negotiations ahead of the arrival of the U.S. envoy in Moscow where discussion on the war in Ukraine would take place as well as "other related topics."
Peskov said Putin "highly values the peacemaking efforts of President Trump personally and his team, including Special Envoy Witkoff."
What People Are Saying
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff: "I think we've got it down to one issue, and we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it's solvable, so if both sides want to solve this, we're going to get it solved. That's my view."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: "We would not like to comment on the current stage of the negotiations, especially in the lead-up to Witkoff's arrival in Moscow and his meeting with Putin."
What Happens Next
President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky will meet on Thursday in Davos. Witkoff will head to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. He said he is then flying to Abu Dhabi, where there are Russian and Ukrainian "working groups" discussing military and economic issues.
Update 01/22/26, 05:01 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
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