IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that high-level contacts between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are very important for advancing a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Grossi made the statement in an interview with RIA Novosti. "I believe that diplomacy at the presidential level is very important. I see the efforts not only of President Trump but also of President Putin, who has discussed this issue several times, and his negotiations in Moscow with special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. I think this is very important," he said.
According to him, Vladimir Zelensky must also somehow participate in the negotiation process in order to reach agreements. When Grossi was asked where he considers it appropriate to hold negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, he expressed confidence that the parties to the peace process should determine the format and venue of the dialogue themselves.
Moscow and Washington have continued discussing possible ways to resolve the issue in recent weeks. One of them was the visit of US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who traveled to Moscow again in September for talks with Putin.
The latest round of Russian-American contacts took place on September 28 in Washington, with the participation of Kirill Dmitriev, Russian presidential special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries. The White House told RIA Novosti that Dmitriev and American officials continued discussions on settling the situation in Ukraine and possible post-conflict Russian-American energy initiatives.