Steve Witchoff, President Trump’s diplomatic messenger arrived to resume Ukraine warning to reach Russia. Kremlin confirmed his arrival, but it is not clear that he would meet with President Vladimir Putin. This potential meeting would be Vicchoff’s third with Putin as the US and Russia started working on their relationship and discovered ways to end the conflict.
The US and Russia are engaged in the war of words, Trump expressed disappointment over the lack of progress in the talks and said he was “angry” about Putin’s recent comments on Ukraine. According to a report, if he does not reach by the end of a ceasefire month, he can also impose additional restrictions on Russia. AxisThese restrictions can be implemented through executive power or by asking the Congress to pass new laws.
In an attempt to break the deadlock, Witcoff hosted Putin’s messenger Kiril Dimitriv in Washington last week. Ukraine has agreed to Trump’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire and a small scale maritime ceasefire, but Russia has made new demands, including lifting some US sanctions. Despite these challenges, Trump remains optimistic and said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, “We are progressing. We hope we are getting relatively closer to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fight.”
A significant development in diplomatic efforts is the prisoner exchange deal between the US and Russia, including the release of a double US-Russian citizen Kesenia Karelina. Trump appreciated the decision to release Karelina, creating a credit to UFC CEO Dana White to focus on his case. White reached Trump for help, mentioning that Karelina is the girlfriend of a UFC fighter.
State Secretary Marco Rubio has also weighed the talks, saying, “We will soon know, in a few weeks, in months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are.” Vitkoff’s visit to Russia is a significant change in diplomatic efforts, as he recently became the first senior American officer to travel to Moscow to meet Putin since Ukraine’s full -scale invasion in early 2022.
The Biden administration had cut in contact with Putin, accusing him of committing crime against humanity in Ukraine. In contrast, Vicchoff has pursued a different approach, focusing on having a relationship with Putin. After his first meeting in Kremlin, Vitkoff said he tried to develop “a friendship, a relationship” with Putin.
