On August 17th, local time, US Special Envoy for the Middle East, Wittekoff, stated that significant progress made during the meeting between US and Russian leaders on the 15th prompted President Trump to abandon the demand for an immediate ceasefire in Russia and Ukraine, and instead work towards a broader peace agreement.
In an interview with CNN on the same day, Wittekoff said, “We are committed to reaching a peace agreement that will permanently end the fighting as soon as possible. Faster than a ceasefire.” He added, “We have resolved all issues that must be discussed and agreed during the ceasefire.”
Wittekoff also indicated that Russia had made “some concessions” on issues involving five regions of Ukraine. He stated that Russian President Putin had agreed to include a security guarantee clause in the future peace agreement, similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that if Ukraine is attacked, it will be considered an attack on all guaranteeing countries. This is an alternative solution to bypassing Russia’s strong opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, and it was “the first time to hear that the Russian side agreed to include similar clauses in the peace agreement, which can be regarded as a major breakthrough,” said Wittekoff. (By Zhang Yingzhe)
On August 15th, local time, US President Trump and Russian President Putin held a meeting at the Elmen多夫-Richardson Joint Military Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Both sides evaluated the meeting positively but did not reach an agreement on the ceasefire in Russia and Ukraine. Trump stated that he and Putin “basically reached a consensus” on providing some form of security guarantee for Ukraine during the meeting.
Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed on the 16th that he would meet with Trump on the 18th. On the 17th, leaders of the EU, NATO, and several European countries confirmed that they would visit the White House on the 18th to meet with Trump and Zelensky.
Trump: Significant progress has been made on the Russia issue ()
On August 17th, local time, US President Trump posted on his social media platform “Truth Social” that “significant progress has been made on the Russia issue” and called on the outside world to “stay tuned.”
The meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Putin at the Elmen多夫-Richardson Joint Military Base in Anchorage, Alaska on the 15th was evaluated positively by both sides but did not result in an agreement on issues such as the ceasefire in Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed on the 16th that he would meet with Trump on the 18th. If the meeting with Zelensky goes smoothly, Trump said on the 16th that he will proceed with arranging a US-Russia-Ukraine tripartite meeting. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that the tripartite meeting would be held in Europe. (By Zhang Yingzhe)