US envoy says to meet Ukrainian representatives in New York this week

Washington, Aug 27 (IANS) US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff said that he will meet with representatives from Ukraine in New York this week as diplomatic efforts continue to seek an end to the Ukraine conflict.

"I'm meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I will be meeting with them this week in New York," Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.

The US envoy said that US and Russian officials remain in regular contact. "We are hopeful that by the end of this year, we actually, and maybe quite a bit sooner, we actually, can find the ingredients to get to that peace deal."

According to Witkoff, Ukraine is considering Russia's peace proposal, while Moscow has expressed a desire to resolve the conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that the Ukraine conflict is more complicated than territorial disputes alone, and that final decisions will be made by Kyiv, not Washington.

Earlier on August 19, last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump held a telephonic conversation reaffirming their commitment to continuing direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv delegations.

Confirming the development, Russian President's aide Yuri Ushakov said the conversation took place at the US President's initiative.

According to Ushakov, during the discussions, Trump briefed Putin about the dialogue he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders of several European countries in Washington.

During the call, Putin also expressed gratitude to Trump for the hospitality and arrangements at the Alaska Summit, as well as for the progress they were able to achieve towards bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

--IANS

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