WASHINGTON — US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington is “hopeful” that proposals presented to Russia and Ukraine could bring the two sides together within the next three weeks and potentially lead to a summit between their presidents.Speaking to Fox News in an interview released Saturday, Witkoff described the Russia-Ukraine war, which on Tuesday marks its fourth year, as a “silly war.”“You know, everyone throws the word ‘dignity’ around. But what does dignity get you if you have that amount of killing there?” he said, adding that recent US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv have had a “real positive effect in some respects.”Witkoff said both Russia and Ukraine “don’t seem like they really want to fight with one another,” arguing that the main difficulty in reaching a peace agreement lies “at the leadership levels.”He said he and Jared Kushner, an aide to US President Donald Trump, believe they have made proposals that could bring both sides together within weeks and possibly result in a summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.Witkoff said such a meeting could also take place at a trilateral level with Trump’s participation, but noted that the US president would only attend if he believed it could produce a final agreement.On his meetings with Putin, Witkoff said the Russian leader had been “straight” about his red lines and motivations.He defended his visits to Russia, saying understanding the other side’s position is necessary to reach an agreement.Witkoff’s remarks came after he participated in another round of trilateral peace talks on the war in Geneva earlier this week.
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