Witkoff called territories a key issue in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

The leading issue in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict remains the international status of the new regions of the Russian Federation. This was stated on March 22 by the US President's special envoy for the Middle East, Stephen Witkoff, during an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson.

"These are Russian-speaking regions, referendums were held there, in which the overwhelming majority of people expressed a desire to be under Russian rule. I think this is a key issue in the conflict," he said, and a recording of the interview was posted on Carlson's YouTube channel.

According to him, the United States is conducting "positive" negotiations with Russia. He also called the problem of recognizing the new territories of the Russian Federation international.

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Negotiations between the delegations of Russia and the United States will take place in Riyadh on March 24. They will be devoted to the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the implementation of the Black Sea initiative. Russia will be represented by Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, and Sergey Beseda, Adviser to the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB).