Trump's envoy seeks 30‑day ceasefire in Moscow talks
Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, traveled to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, according to Axios, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
What do you need to know?
- Witkoff's meeting with Putin is scheduled for Friday, as confirmed by FlightRadar data and a source familiar with the trip.
- The aim of the talks is to achieve a 30-day ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, a crucial goal for the Trump administration.
- Russia is setting new conditions, including the lifting of certain American sanctions, complicating the negotiations.
What are Witkoff's goals for his visit to Russia?
Witkoff's talks with Putin are expected to be part of the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate a 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Axios notes that this is already Witkoff's third meeting with Putin, highlighting Trump's envoy's involvement in the trip.
Will Russia agree to a ceasefire?
Despite Ukraine's agreement to Trump's proposal of an unconditional ceasefire, Russia has introduced new demands, including the lifting of some U.S. sanctions. Last week, Witkoff hosted Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington to break the negotiation deadlock.
What are the next steps in the negotiations?
If a ceasefire agreement is not reached by the end of the month, President Trump may decide to impose additional sanctions against Russia. He can do this through his executive powers or by requesting Congress to pass new sanction laws. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that Russia will take the issue of peace seriously.
"We hope that we're going to be able to make a deal relatively soon with Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting," Trump said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
What are the achievements in the talks so far?
As part of previous negotiations between Witkoff and Putin, the U.S. and Russia completed a prisoner exchange agreement, which led to the release of Ksenia Karelina, a citizen of both the U.S. and Russia. Trump expressed gratitude to Putin for this decision, emphasizing that it was the result of a request from the UFC.
Additionally, American and Russian diplomats met again on Thursday in Istanbul to discuss normalizing relations between the countries.
