ISTANBUL

Russia made concessions on all five unilaterally annexed Ukrainian regions during Friday's Alaska summit, while the US is potentially prepared to offer direct security guarantees to Ukraine, US Special Presidential Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff said on Sunday.

"There are five regions here. It's always, in our view, been the crux of the deal," Witkoff told CNN, referring to Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.

"The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions," he said.

“It was significant, and that doesn't mean it's enough,” Witkoff said, noting that Ukrainians and Europeans are aware of the Russian concessions.

Regarding Donetsk specifically, Witkoff said: "There is an important discussion to be had" about what would happen there, with that discussion "going to specifically be detailed on Monday" when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets US President Donald Trump at the White House.

"Hopefully we can cut through and make some decisions right then and there," Witkoff told Fox News in a separate interview.

Witkoff told CNN that the talks showed "some moderation in the way they're thinking about getting to a final peace deal," which he described as "encouraging."

He also revealed that the sides agreed to "game-changing" and "robust security guarantees," including potential "legislative enshrinement within the Russian Federation not to go after any other territory" once a peace deal is codified.

Article 5-style security guarantee for Ukraine

Witkoff said Washington could provide Kyiv with Article 5-style security guarantees outside NATO's framework.

"The United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article Five security guarantees, but not from NATO, directly from the United States and other European countries," he told Fox News.

When asked if this meant US troops on the ground, Witkoff said specifics would be discussed on Monday to determine "exactly the specifics of what the Ukrainians feel that they need."

He clarified to CNN that the guarantee would not make further incursions into Ukraine an attack on all NATO members, but rather "the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article Five-like language to cover a security guarantee."

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour closed-door meeting Friday, with Putin saying they reached an "understanding."

Following the summit, Trump told Fox News that significant points were agreed upon, with only minor items remaining.