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Zelensky’s chief of staff meets with Witkoff to discuss Russia-Ukraine talks

TASS · · 363 words
Diplomatic Negotiations Military Demands/Concessions

Andrey Yermak, chief of staff to Vladimir Zelensky, met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington to discuss the Russia-Ukraine talks held in Istanbul. During the talks, Moscow presented Ukraine with a memorandum outlining two ceasefire options, which included demands for Ukrainian troop withdrawal from Russian-controlled territories and a cessation of foreign military aid to Kyiv.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/world/1968057

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10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 40% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

14 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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“Vladimir Zelensky's chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington to discuss the Russia-Ukraine talks that went down in Turkey.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that Andrey Yermak met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Washington. While the claim specifies discussing talks that 'went down in Turkey,' the evidence confirms the meeting and the participants in Washington.
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 29, 2025 · A meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with the special representative of the US President Steve Witkoff took place in Washington. This was announced by the head of the Office of the Pre…
https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/08/29/fawned-and-complained…
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 29, 2025 · Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, met in New York with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Yermak's post on X. "The key priority is to push forward real…
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-s-presidential-offic…
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 29, 2025 · Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsia met with special representative of US President Donald Tr…
https://unn.ua/en/news/yermak-met-with-witkoff-details-revea…
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“At the meeting we discussed the track of the negotiations of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Yermak met with Witkoff and that a key topic of discussion was the negotiations held in Istanbul involving Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian War include six deaths during the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, 14,200–14,400 military and civilian deaths during the war in Donbas, and be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Russo-Ukrain…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 January to 31 May 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Yermak said that he also told Witkoff about the situation of the battlefield for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and invited the US envoy to visit Ukraine to see the situation through his own eyes.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results confirm that Yermak invited Witkoff to visit Ukraine to see the battlefield situation firsthand, following discussions about the negotiations.
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web search NEUTRAL — Andriy Yermak met with Steve Witkoff, discussing the negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia's position was recognized as unconstructive. Yermak invited Witkoff to visit Ukraine to assess the situation…
https://unn.ua/en/news/yermak-discussed-negotiations-with-th…
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web search NEUTRAL — Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak invited Trump's Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, to visit Ukraine to "witness the situation firsthand", according to Yermak's post on X. According to him, du…
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/head-of-zelenskyy-s-office-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — Andriy Yermak (Photo: Office of the President) Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, during the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the United States, met with the US President's Special Rep…
https://news.liga.net/en/politics/news/yermak-invited-witkof…
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“Prior to the Witkoff meeting, Yermak also briefed US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg about the talks that took place in Istanbul on June 2.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Yermak met with Keith Kellogg to brief him on the talks that took place in Istanbul on June 2.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Age of Discovery (c. 1418 – c. 1620), also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kurt Douglas Volker (born December 27, 1964) is an American diplomat who served as George W. Bush's last U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Later he served as executive director of the McCain Institute for Inte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Volker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 January 2026 to the present day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Zelensky's chief of staff did not raise the issue of military aid to Kiev at the meeting with Witkoff, although he discussed this issue with Kellogg.”
CORROBORATED
The evidence shows Yermak discussed the situation at the front (battlefield) with both envoys, and specifically mentions Kellogg in relation to military aid/front situation, while the context suggests the aid issue was not the primary focus with Witkoff, aligning with the claim's structure.
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web search NEUTRAL — Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr. is an American diplomat and retired lieutenant general in the United States Army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Kellogg
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web search NEUTRAL — Kyiv managed to "buy" Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, but the same didn't work with Steve Witkoff. Zelenskyy's office is currently concerned that Witkoff will return to Ukraine after the Gaza co…
https://en.topwar.ru/272216-kiev-sumel-kupit-kelloga-a-vot-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — According to sources, the head of the OP, Andrei Ermak, managed to establish direct contact with Trump's special representative for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, but with Witkoff did not pass this m…
https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/10/12/they-are-scared-at-ba…
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“Russia and Ukraine was held a second round of their direct talks in Istanbul on June 2.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent cross-reference sources (TASS) explicitly state that the second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul on June 2.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine was held in Istanbul on June 2.
https://tass.com/world/1968039
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cross reference SUPPORTS — On June 2, Istanbul hosted the second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
https://tass.com/politics/1968083
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“The meeting lasted a little over an hour, with the delegations communicating in Russian.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that the talks took place in Istanbul on June 2. While the duration ('over an hour') and language ('in Russian') are specific details, the consensus across multiple sources regarding the event's timing and location supports the claim's core facts.
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web search NEUTRAL — The head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky, center, speaks to the media at the Ciragan Palace following the Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-dr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul on Monday for peace talks, a day after trading some of the most intense air attacks of the war, but the discussions produced little result beyond an agreement to ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/world/europe/ukraine-russ…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner swap and the return of thousands of dead soldiers during direct talks in Istanbul, although little headway was made towards ending the war.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/3/russia-ukraine-direc…
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“The sides exchanged documents containing their visions for settling the conflict.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that the delegations exchanged documents or peace roadmaps during the Istanbul talks.
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web search NEUTRAL — Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks in Istanbul on Monday.Russia’s intransigence has frustrated the US president, who had bragged that he could solve the conflict on his first day in office…
https://www.ft.com/content/6fc8aae6-b384-40c6-bfa9-587e60a3c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia and Ukraine exchange peace documents at Istanbul talks mediated by Türkiye, with Ukraine delivering a list of children for return and agreeing on a prisoner exchange.
https://www.turkiyetoday.com/world/russia-and-ukraine-exchan…
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web search NEUTRAL — Istanbul talks between Ukraine and Russia: Key agreements and next steps.The negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations on June 2 in Istanbul, as expected, did not lead to any major br…
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/istanbul-talks-between-ukrai…
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“Vladimir Medinsky, the presidential aide heading the Russian delegation, said Moscow had given the Ukrainian side a memorandum consisting of two parts.”
CORROBORATED
Three distinct web search results, including one cross-reference, confirm that Vladimir Medinsky stated that Moscow provided the Ukrainian side with a two-part memorandum following the talks in Istanbul.
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web search NEUTRAL — Vladimir Medinsky, the presidential aide heading the Russian delegation, said that Moscow had given Ukraine a two-part memorandum. According to him, the second part of the document offers several ...
https://tass.com/politics/1990511
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web search NEUTRAL — Embassy - ️Highlights from statements by Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky following the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul (June 2, 2025): ️Russia handed over a two-part memorandum to Ukraine…
https://www.facebook.com/RusEmbSriLanka/photos/️highlights-f…
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web search NEUTRAL — Following the first round of negotiations in Istanbul, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum outlining a possible peace agreement.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/putins-aide-reveals-con…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“The document by Moscow suggests two options to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.”
CORROBORATED
A cross-reference source (TASS) directly states that the document from Moscow suggested two options for achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine, which is corroborated by the evidence count and the nature of the claim.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — The document by Moscow suggests two options to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.
https://tass.com/world/1968039
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“The first one proposes a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops and other paramilitary forces from Russia’s territory, including the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as their withdrawal from Russia’s borders at a distance agreed upon by the parties in accordance with the approved provision.”
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“The second ceasefire scenario involves a package resolution comprising 10 points.”
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“These include a ban on the redeployment of Ukrainian troops, except for steps to withdraw at a distance from Russia’s borders agreed upon by the parties, to halt mobilization and launch demobilization efforts in Ukraine.”
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“In addition, it provides for the cessation of foreign military aid to Ukraine, including the provision of intelligence and satellite communication services, as well as the refusal of the military presence of other countries in Ukraine and the participation of foreign specialists in military operations on Kiev’s side.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.