Trump’s envoy to meet Putin in Moscow: ceasefire talks at stake
Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia and is set to meet with Putin on Friday — with a ceasefire in the war with Ukraine and new sanctions hanging in the balance.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Axios, has arrived in Russia and, based on sources and FlightRadar data, is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
This will be their third meeting as part of Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
While Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire and a limited maritime deal, Russia has made new demands, including the lifting of sanctions.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Trump has hinted at imposing additional sanctions if no agreement is reached by the end of the month.
Last week, Witkoff hosted Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington. During the meeting, both sides agreed on a prisoner exchange — Russia released dual citizen Ksenia Karelina.
Talks are ongoing: U.S. and Russian diplomats met in Istanbul the day before to discuss normalization of relations.
Earlier, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff pointed out that the core obstacle to ending the war is the issue of control over Crimea and other occupied territories — a topic both sides tend to avoid discussing openly.