Bloomberg: Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet with Putin in the near future
Witkoff and Kushner plan to travel to Moscow in the near future to meet with Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg reports. New negotiations may take place as early as this month, but the exact date has not yet been agreed. At the same time, it is noted that plans may change due to events in Iran.
Alberto Nardelli
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to travel to Moscow in the near future to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, informed sources said. Special envoys of US President Donald Trump are actively working to reach a peace agreement that will end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meeting could take place this month, but plans have not yet been agreed and the timing could be changed due to events in Iran, where unrest has been going on for more than two weeks.
A White House spokesman said that no such meeting was planned at the moment. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment.
According to one of the sources, it remains unclear how interested Putin is in a second meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, and this appears to be the main obstacle to agreeing a date.
In recent days, U.S. and Ukrainian officials have expressed satisfaction with the significant progress in implementing the 20-point plan aimed at ending hostilities. They reported that the plan has been completed by about 90%, although some key issues remain unresolved.
The Kremlin insists on the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from those areas of eastern Donbass that have not yet been taken under control by Russian troops. In response, Kiev proposes to freeze the conflict along the existing line of contact or to carry out a mutual withdrawal of troops on both sides of the current front line to create a buffer zone.
Moscow also opposes the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine and wants the territories it has liberated to be recognized as Russian, some sources said. There are also unresolved issues of control over the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which was taken over by the Russian military, and the fate of about $ 300 billion of frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia.
American officials will present the latest versions of the projects to Putin and his team, according to informed sources.
The discussions are expected to touch on the security guarantees that the United States and Europe will provide to Ukraine to ensure compliance with any peace agreement, as well as the country's post-war reconstruction. Trump said earlier this month that he was "not thrilled" with Putin. However, it remains unclear whether he will continue to exert pressure on Moscow, despite the new disappointment. The United States has prepared additional sanctions in case Trump decides to impose them due to the fact that Russia continues to reject the peace agreement.
On Wednesday, when asked about a possible meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov avoided a direct answer, saying instead that Moscow was open to contacts with American emissaries. He also stressed that previous meetings with them had been serious and aimed at resolving differences.
"I am sure that if they show such interest, this interest will be met with understanding," he said.
Meanwhile, the United States, Europe, and Ukraine are close to agreeing on security guarantees, in particular, monitoring a possible cease-fire, deterring Russia from new attacks, and responding if they occur. In addition, agreements related to the future economic development and prosperity of Ukraine will be considered.
Kiev expects to sign agreements within the framework of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which will be held in Davos later this month. US President Donald Trump and European leaders are expected to attend the event.
In December, Witkoff and Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, visited Moscow and met with Putin. The negotiations lasted almost five hours, but were unsuccessful. Last year, Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow as many as six times.
