Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russia should not necessarily be blamed for sparking the war in Ukraine — a position that aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent strikes against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the three-year anniversary of the fighting looms.

In a dramatic shift in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump, the United States split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has stated in an interview conducted for Russian propaganda media outlets that Russia wants a long-term peace agreement on Ukraine that addresses the "root causes of the conflict" rather than a quick US-backed ceasefire followed by a quick resumption of hostilities.