U.S. Postpones Talks with Russia, Ukraine

Feb. 2—Sources close to the White House report that on President Donald Trump’s request, talks that were to take place this weekend between teams of negotiators from the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine were postponed. And contrary to reports from Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelenskyy, no date for their resumption has been set, but these sources say they could resume later this week “if Ukraine decides to behave and stick to the agenda.”

These sources say the reason that the talks were postponed was because Ukraine was not going “to say or do anything that made any sense, so that they would be a waste of time.” The main issue facing negotiators is to work out some agreeable language where Ukraine agrees to give Russia the remaining territory it holds militarily in Donetsk, which will leave the Russians in control of the 4 oblasts in Donbass which have joined the Russian Federation. Zelenskyy still says he will not agree to this, so there was no reason to move forward.

Disputes Over Security Guarantees and NATO Presence

In addition, Zelenskyy, whose forces are losing decisively on the battlefield, is still seeking “security guarantees” from the United States, which he lyingly claims have been agreed to by Trump; the President has repeatedly said that such guarantees will only be given if Ukraine agrees to give up the Donbass. 

In addition, the Russians have made it clear that they will never accept any NATO forces based in Ukraine as “peacekeepers,” as the British and the French have demanded; nor will they accept U.S. security guarantees unless they protect Russian interests as well and come with the beginning moves toward a new security architecture for Europe, which would include a statement from NATO about no further eastward expansion. The Russians have offered to sign a non‑aggression pact with NATO and its member states.

The Russians have charged that the clown Zelenskyy has violated diplomatic protocols by discussing what is being discussed behind closed doors in the press, and saying he is threatening prospects for peace. The Americans, the sources report, including President Trump, concur.

“The President believes that a deal can be made if Zelenskyy acts responsibly,” said a source. “If he is not willing to sign a deal, then Trump is sure he can find a new Ukrainian leader who will.”

Witkoff Meets Russian Envoy in Florida

Meanwhile, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his team met in Florida with Russian President Putin’s special envoy for the Ukraine and other negotiations with the United States, Kirill Dmitriev, in Florida yesterday where, sources say, the problems with Zelenskyy were discussed. Witkoff issued the following statement on his X account about the meeting: “Today in Florida, the Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held productive and constructive meetings as part of the U.S. mediation effort toward advancing a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.

“The American delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Advisor Josh Gruenbaum. We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine and is grateful for @POTUS’s critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace.”

Lavrov Rejects Claims of a Security Deal

Sticking with the agreed plans for dealing with questions on the 3‑way talks, the first round of which took place in Abu Dhabi last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov refused comment on their content. But that did not keep him from taking a swipe at Zelenskyy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and their claim that a deal on security guarantees had been worked out, without Russian involvement.

“We do not know what kind of guarantees they agreed upon, but everything points to the fact that they are talking about offering guarantees to the very Ukrainian regime that is pursuing a Russia‑hating, neo‑Nazi policy,” Lavrov said Jan. 29. “If their aim consists of preserving the regime within a certain part of what used to be Ukraine’s territory and persisting with their efforts to reshape it as an outpost for threatening the Russian Federation, you can probably guess that these security guarantees would likely fail to bring about lasting peace.”

Lavrov noted that Russia did agree on security guarantees back in April 2022 in Istanbul. “Moreover, it was Ukraine which submitted the draft setting forth these guarantees. We supported this proposal,” he said. “It was only later, as you know, that then‑U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that they should not sign the corresponding agreement, even if it was already initialed. Those security guarantees provided for collective and indivisible security, including for the Russian Federation and the entire region surrounding Ukraine.

“We will proceed from the actual proposals instead of responding to the publicity stunts which have been stirring so much excitement in the media.”

Lavrov, in an extensive interview with Turkish media, provided many more details and content about the history of the 2022 guarantees. “These guarantees were to be provided by all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States, France, Britain, China, and Russia. On top of it, Germany and Turkey were encouraged to join the guarantor countries. … It clearly spelled out the security guarantees: no foreign military bases on Ukrainian territory, and no exercises involving foreign forces unless such exercises were approved by all guarantor countries. Everything was spelled out in specific detail. If someone were to break these guarantees, the guarantor countries were to take measures to cut short such violations. These measures were written very much in the spirit of Article 5 of the 1949 Washington Treaty of the North Atlantic Alliance.”

Partial Truce Requested by Trump

In a related matter, it has now been confirmed that President Trump did ask Russian President Vladimir Putin for a halt to drone and other attacks on Kyiv, especially its energy supplies, to allow for a proper climate within which the talks could proceed, and Putin agreed to such partial truce, as Trump has asked, through Feb. 1. It is unclear if this shall be continued until the new, as yet unknown start date for the talks.