Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy to the Middle East, stated on Sunday that a meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin of Russia is highly probable this week.
Interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Witkoff was queried about the expected timeline for a peace agreement in the conflict in Ukraine.
I don’t dispute the president’s usage of the weeks as a period. In his statement, Witkoff expressed his optimism that the situation will improve. “No one anticipated such rapid advancement. We are successfully uniting opposing factions despite the fact that this is an extremely complex scenario. Lots of issues still need resolving, but I’m optimistic that this week’s meeting between the two presidents will be productive.
A possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was discussed by U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia only days before Trump’s special envoy met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
During their three to four hour meeting, Witkoff claimed to have had a “positive” and “solution-based” conversation with Putin.
A previous visit occurred before this one, and prior to that, there was a great chasm,” Witkoff said CNN anchor Jake Tapper. Now, the two camps are much closer together. Under the leadership of national security adviser Mike Waltz and secretary of state Marco Rubio, we had a fruitful conversation on Saudi Arabia.
“I describe my conversation with President Putin as equally positive,” stated Witkoff. Both sides have… we’ve reduced their differences, and now we’re seated at the table. I spent all day yesterday in the president’s company, and I will spend all day today in his as well. We are currently meeting and brainstorming ways to make it even more specific.
This was Witkoff’s second meeting with Putin in as many weeks. U.S. prisoner Marc Fogel was released by the Russians at the first sit-down, which took place in mid-February.
Within five to ten minutes of last week’s meeting with Putin, Witkoff informed Trump, Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, and Waltz from the U.S. embassy, according to Witkoff.
“President Trump has been involved in every aspect and dimension of these discussions,” according to Witkoff. The president is being kept apprised of all developments in real time, and he has a hand in all major decisions made here. A phone discussion between the two presidents is likely to take place this week, and we are also maintaining contact and dialogue with the Ukrainians. We’re giving them our professional advice on all of our current thoughts.
According to Witkoff, “the four regions are of critical importance here” when discussing the agreement’s provisions. France, Britain, Norway, Finland, the whole host, and Ukraine are all part of the stakeholder European nations with whom we are in talks. Regarding such areas, we are also in talks with the Russians. Everything else that may be part of a ceasefire is also being discussed with us.
Witkoff travelled to Moscow last week after mediating discussions between Israel and Hamas in Doha, Qatar, over the possibility of extending their ceasefire accord.