Putin and Trump envoy Witkoff in push for Ukraine peace
The meeting between Putin and Steve Witkoff, the envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, lasted three hours and was described as constructive by Putin's advisor Yuri Ushakov, according to the TASS agency.
What you need to know?
- The U.S. president's envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
- Previously, Witkoff had already met with Putin three times, indicating ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Russia.
- The talks aim to end the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022. Previous meetings have not resulted in breakthrough outcomes.
Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's envoy, discussed, among other things, the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, stated Putin's advisor Yuri Ushakov, as quoted by the TASS news agency.
As Ushakov added, the three-hour conversation between Putin and Witkoff "led to a convergence of positions between Russia and the United States not only on Ukraine but also on other issues".
The White House and the Kremlin previously announced that U.S.-Russia talks would continue this week. The visit was initially reported by Putin's advisor Yuri Ushakov and later confirmed by White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt.
A friend of Trump who "knows nothing about Russia or Ukraine"?
The Russian edition of BBC News, in a portrait published on Friday of Steve Witkoff, assessed that U.S. foreign policy is currently influenced not by diplomats and experts but by close associates of President Donald Trump. It quoted criticism suggesting that Witkoff "knows nothing about Russia or Ukraine".
Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton, in an interview with the BBC, criticized Steve Witkoff, stating that, to his knowledge, Witkoff lacks understanding of Russia, Ukraine, their history, armed conflicts, and the complexities of negotiating a potential truce. Bolton added that during several meetings with Putin, Witkoff appeared highly susceptible to manipulation.
