Washington DC [US], April 16 (HBTV): The White House on Tuesday (US local time) said a productive conversation had taken place between the United States and Russia, adding that future economic partnerships could be possible but only after a ceasefire is achieved.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the remarks during a press briefing, stressing that the first step towards improved relations would require an end to the ongoing conflict.
Speaking about the status of negotiations, Leavitt said, ‘What I can tell is, a productive conversation was had as the Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said last night he believes that Russia wants to end this war and the President believes that as well.’
She added, ‘There is incentive for Russia to end this war, and perhaps that could be economic partnerships with the United States, but we need to see a ceasefire first, and the President and the Presidential Envoy Witkoff made it very clear to the Russians.’
Her comments came after US President Donald Trump on Monday blamed the Biden administration for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: ‘The war between Russia and Ukraine is Biden's war, not mine. I just got here, and for four years during my term, I had no problem preventing it from happening. President Putin and everyone else respected your President! I had nothing to do with this war, but I am working diligently to get the death and destruction to stop. If the 2020 Presidential Election was not rigged, and it was, in so many ways, that horrible war would never have happened.’
He further criticised both former President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating: ‘President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin. There were so many ways of preventing it from ever starting. But that is the past. Now we have to get it to stop and fast.’
Meanwhile, President Trump described Russia’s missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy as ‘a mistake’, calling it ‘a horrible thing’, while members of his administration condemned the attack more strongly. ‘I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing,’ he said.
The missile strike on Sumy, which occurred on Sunday, resulted in at least 34 deaths and injured over 100 people.
Earlier, Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, had met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg to discuss the conflict. According to Al Jazeera, their meeting, which took place in the presidential library, lasted more than four hours. The Kremlin stated the talks ‘focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement’, without providing further details.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump may also have been discussed. Al Jazeera reported that Witkoff has emerged as a key figure in ongoing dialogue between Washington and Moscow, with discussions touching on potential joint investments in the Arctic and Russian rare earth minerals.
The meeting was part of the US administration’s broader effort to broker a ceasefire agreement amid stalled negotiations on the terms of a settlement. (ANI)