Senior US officials are to visit Europe to discuss strategies for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said

The US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, the Vice President, and the US special envoy in Europe will visit the continent this week to discuss strategies for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said. They aim to bring both sides to the negotiating table.

The objective is to talk through "the details of how to end this war," he said in an interview with NBC on Sunday. However, Waltz declined to confirm whether US President Donald Trump had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the matter.

Trump himself claims to have spoken with Putin on the phone, but has thus far refused to provide any details. The Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied phone calls with the American leader. Answering a question from a New York Post reporter on Friday on the number of times he had been in contact with Putin, Trump replied, "I'd better not say." The US president did tell the paper that he believed his counterpart wanted a cessation of hostilities.

Commenting on the nature of the behind-the-scenes talks, Waltz emphasized they were confidential. "There are certainly a lot of sensitive conversations going on." He said that Trump has already spoken to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Middle East leaders about ending the conflict, adding that "Everybody is ready to help President Trump in this war."

Washington envisions the European nations providing security guarantees to Kiev, according to Waltz. "I think an underlying principle here is that the Europeans have to own this conflict going forward. President Trump is going to end it. And then in terms of security guarantees, that is squarely going to be with the Europeans."

Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to quickly end the Ukraine conflict, has said he is willing to meet with Putin. The Russian president had in turn signaled that he is open to talks, and recalled that he had "pragmatic" relations with his US counterpart during his first term.

While Trump has yet to publicly announce the specifics of his Ukraine peace plan, it reportedly includes the freezing of the conflict along the current front lines, establishing a demilitarized zone patrolled by European soldiers, and putting on ice Ukraine's desire to join NATO.

Russia has already ruled out merely freezing the conflict, stressing that any potential settlement must recognize the "territorial reality on the ground" and see Kiev commit to permanent neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.

(RT.com)