A day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff met with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed optimism about being close to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“I think the administration is feeling very optimistic,” he said during a news conference Monday afternoon. “They had very good conversations with the Ukrainians in Florida. And now, of course, special envoy Witkoff is on his way to Russia,” Leavitt said.
Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow on Monday and plans to meet with Russian President Vladamir Putin on Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt arrives for a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on December 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Leavitt emphasized the administration’s strong desire to end the war before touting its diplomatic efforts that include “talking[ing] equally with both parties,” he said.
However, she remained tight-lipped about the details of the ongoing negotiation and instead referred the decision to negotiators.
“We’ve put the points on paper. Those points have been very refined. But as far as the details, I’ll let the negotiators negotiate. But we feel pretty good and we’re hopeful that this work can finally come to a close,” Leavitt said.
-Emily Chang of ABC News
