The United States envoy, Steve Witkoff, had conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday, two days before the expiration of a deadline established by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, so that Russia accepts peace in Ukraine or in front of new sanctions.
Witkoff flew to Moscow on a last -minute mission to seek an advance in the three and a half years war that began with the large -scale invasion of Russia in 2022. Russian state television showed a brief clip that shake hand with Putin at the beginning of its meeting.
The Russian news agencies said the conversations ended after about three hours, and that the Witkoff motor convoy was seen leaving the Kremlin.
The Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who previously greeted Witkoff upon arrival and walked with him in a park near Kremlin, published on social networks: “Dialogue will prevail.” There was no immediate statement of any of the parties about the substance of the conversations.
Trump, increasingly frustrated with Putin due to lack of progress towards peace, has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports.
He is exerting particular pressure on India, which, together with China, is a great buyer of Russian oil. The Kremlin says that threats to penalize countries that trade with Russia are illegal.
It wasn’t clear what Russia offered to Witkoff to avoid Trump’s threat.
Bloomberg and independent Russian news media The bell He informed that the Kremlin could propose a moratorium on the air attacks in Russia and Ukraine, an idea that was mentioned last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin.
Such movement, if he remembers, would be good for the high and immediate fire that Ukraine and the United States have been looking for for months. But I would offer some relief on both sides.
Since the two parties resumed direct peace conversations in May, Russia has carried out its heaviest air attacks in the war, killing at least 72 people in the Kyiv capital alone. Last week, Trump described the Russian attacks as “disgust.”
Ukraine continues to attack Russian refineries and oil deposits, which has affected many times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Russia had attacked a gas pumping station in southern Ukraine in what he called a deliberate and cynical blow for preparations for the winter heating season.
Russia said he had affected the gas infrastructure that supplies the Ukrainian army.
Andriy Yermak, Chief of Personnel of Zelensky, said on Wednesday that the fire and a leaders summit were required. “The war must stop and for now, this is in Russia,” he published on Telegram.
‘Extrect of the last’
It is unlikely that Putin be inclined to Trump Ultimatum’s sanctions because he believes he is winning the war and his military objectives have priority over his desire to improve relations with the United States, they said three sources close to the Kremlin. Reuters.
“Witkoff’s visit is a last effort to find a solution that saves the face for both parties. However, I don’t think there is some commitment between the two,” said Gerhard Mangot, Austrian analyst and a member of a group of western academics and journalists who have regularly met with Putin over the years.
“Russia will insist that you are prepared to have a fire, but [only] Under the conditions he has already formulated during the last two or three years, ”he said in a telephone interview.
“Trump will be under pressure to do what he has announced: to increase tariffs for all countries that buy oil and gas, and uranium probably also from Russia.”
Russian sources said Reuters That Putin was skeptical that even more American sanctions have a great impact after successive waves of economic sanctions for three and a half years of war.
The Russian leader does not want to anger Trump, and realizes that he may be rejecting the opportunity to improve relations with Washington and the West, but his war goals are more important to him, two of the sources said.
Putin’s peace conditions include a legally binding promise that NATO will not expand to the east, Ukrainian neutrality, protection for Russian speakers and the acceptance of Russian territorial gains in the war, Russian sources said.
Zelensky has said that Ukraine would never recognize Russia’s sovereignty about his conquered regions and that kyiv retains the sovereign right to decide if he wants to join NATO.
Witkoff, a real estate billionaire, had no diplomatic experience before joining the Trump team in January, but has simultaneously commissioned to seek cessation in the conflicts of Ukraine and Gaza, as well as negotiate in the crisis on the Iran nuclear program.
Critics have portrayed him as outside his depth when they took a face to face with Putin, Russia’s primary leader during the last 25 years, sometimes he accused him of echoing the Kremlin narrative.
In an interview with the journalist Tucker Carlson in March, for example, Witkoff said there was no reason why Russia would like to absorb Ukraine or bite more of its territory, and it was “absurd” to think that Putin would like to send his army marching through Europe.
Ukraine and many of its European allies say otherwise. Putin denies any design in the NATO territory, and Moscow has repeatedly issued charges such as evidence of European hostility and “Russophobia.”
