US says Ukraine and Russia very close to signing peace deal similar to Istanbul Protocol

Speaking to CNN, Witkoff reiterated that the war did not need to happen and that regardless of who started it, it must come to an end.

"The war didn't need to happen. It was provoked. It doesn't necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians,” he said.

“There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. The president has spoken about this. That didn't need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians,” he added.

“There were very, very what I'll call cogent and substantive negotiations framed in something that's called the Istanbul Protocol Agreement. We came very, very close to signing something, and I think we'll be using that framework as a guidepost to get a peace deal done between Ukraine and Russia, and I think that will be an amazing day.”

Commenting on the role that US President Donald Trump has in the process, Witkoff said: “We have had close to 1.5 million deaths, and finally we have a leader determined to end the carnage.”