“Either the U.S. pulls out”: Trump issued an ultimatum to Kyiv and Moscow on the need for direct negotiations – Witkoff

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to both Ukraine and Russia, demanding that they begin direct negotiations — otherwise, the United States will “walk away” from the conflict.

This was stated by Trump’s special representative, Steven Witkoff, in an interview with Breitbart News.

The interview was recorded on Thursday — before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders called for a 30-day ceasefire and agreed to negotiations in Istanbul on May 15.

“The President has issued an ultimatum to both sides that without these direct talks — and if they don’t happen quickly — then, in his view, the United States must step back from this conflict, whatever that may mean, and simply not be involved,” Witkoff said.

He clarified that the first step must be a ceasefire, followed by addressing deeper issues.

“It goes like this: ceasefire, everyone stops the violence, and we spend some time together to make sure we can resolve the core problems,” he said.

According to Witkoff, the key issues include five contested regions, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), and how Ukrainians can access the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.

On the subject of the ZNPP, Witkoff called it “something of a crown jewel” because of its power-generating capacity, and said it is “a big part of the discussion right now.”

But “the major sticking points involve the five regions,” he noted. The U.S. is reportedly urging both Kyiv and Moscow to consider territorial concessions.

“It’s a question of how we assess — there’s a difference between where the front line lies, where troops are positioned, and the administrative boundaries… We’re talking about what might be acceptable to Russia in some of these areas. Are you willing to pull back behind certain administrative borders? The same applies to the Ukrainians,” Witkoff explained.