US hold 'productive' talks with Ukrainian negotiators

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00:00We've had absolutely no details about what is in the revised plan that the Americans and the

00:06Ukrainians have worked out. We are often told that there are two main sticking points, which

00:10are security guarantees and territory. Is Ukraine prepared to make any territorial concessions beyond

00:17what the Russians have already occupied? The answer coming from Kiev has been no. We don't

00:22hear about all sorts of other points that were in the original 28-point plan that were unacceptable

00:27to the Ukrainians. Amnesty, for example, for Russian war crimes. Have the Ukrainians decided

00:33they agreed to that or have the Americans agreed that it shouldn't be in there? Russia wanting

00:38to meddle in Ukraine's sovereignty by telling Ukraine to pass certain laws concerning its

00:42language policy. We haven't heard anything about that either. The feeling in Ukraine is

00:46that the positions are not reconcilable and that the Russians don't really want peace.

00:51Perhaps, though, the fact that Steve Witkoff is apparently going back to Moscow after these

00:56talks with the Ukrainians in Florida suggests that there is some kind of process still going

01:01on, that he's got something to report back on and that they're not simply throwing in

01:05the towel. It was notable, I thought, though, that members of the Ukrainian delegation were

01:11very grateful and expressed praise for Marco Rubio. I think they're very pleased that Marco Rubio

01:18is still in the room. He's seen as the most sensible and the most hawkish on Russia of the people

01:24in the American delegation. And also for Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law,

01:29Siggy Kislitsa, was at pains to point out how constructive he found Jared Kushner's attitude

01:36to be. None of them mentioned Steve Witkoff, who was the host.

01:41Indeed. Yeah. Meanwhile, of course, Gulliver, we've got Vladimir Zelensky heading here to Paris

01:47today. Yes, it's the second visit in less than two weeks, I think. Obviously, at this difficult time

01:56and also with the political upheavals going on in Ukraine, I think that Volodymyr Zelenskyy

02:01thinks it's very important to shore up his allegiances with the Europeans. And Jean-Noël

02:08Barreau, the French foreign minister, was talking about the possibility of stronger sanctions

02:11against Russia if Russia does not cooperate with this so-called peace process. So the Ukrainians

02:17are very much hoping that there will be more action coming from Europe. They also, I think,

02:23are getting increasingly concerned about the need for more air defences and more ammunition for their

02:29air defences. Some of those are provided by the French and the Italians, the Samp-T, for example.

02:35That's what I'm hearing from sources in the Air Force. So there's a lot to talk about with

02:39Emmanuel Macron, of course, as well.

02:42Gulliver, thanks very much. Gulliver Craig joining us live there from Kiev.

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