"I continue to be optimistic that there will be a peace deal in place, but it's going to take both sides to agree to it, and we have to see what both sides want to ask for," US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News.
US President Donald Trump also expressed satisfaction with the progress of the negotiations on January 31, adding that the process could now proceed successfully without the participation of his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Trilateral security working group talks involving representatives from Russia, the US, and Ukraine took place on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. A new meeting is tentatively expected later on Sunday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that this round would be bilateral, but the United States could join the parties.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov previously called the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas an important component of the overall peace plan.