Trump Envoy Witkoff In Russia, Likely To Meet Putin To Push For Ceasefire

Steve Witkoff, President Trump's diplomatic envoy, arrived in Russia to rekindle stalled talks over the Ukraine war. The Kremlin confirmed his arrival, but it's unclear if he'll meet with President Vladimir Putin. This potential meeting would be Witkoff's third with Putin since the US and Russia began to work on their relationship and find ways to end the conflict.

The US and Russia have been engaged in a war of words, with Trump expressing frustration over the lack of progress in negotiations and he said he was "pissed off" about Putin's recent comments on Ukraine. He could even impose additional sanctions on Russia if a ceasefire isn't reached by the end of the month, according to a report by Axios. These sanctions could be implemented through executive power or by asking Congress to pass new legislation.

In an effort to break the deadlock, Witkoff hosted Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington last week. Ukraine has agreed to Trump's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire and a smaller-scale maritime ceasefire, but Russia has made new demands, including lifting some US sanctions. Despite these challenges, Trump remains optimistic and said this during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, "We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting."

A significant development in the diplomatic efforts is the prisoner exchange deal between the US and Russia, which included the release of dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina. Trump appreciated Putin's decision to release Karelina, crediting UFC CEO Dana White for bringing attention to her case. White had reached out to Trump for help, mentioning that Karelina is the girlfriend of a UFC fighter.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also weighed in on the negotiations, saying, "We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are." Witkoff's visit to Russia marks a significant shift in diplomatic efforts, as he recently became the first senior American official to travel to Moscow to meet with Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

The Biden administration had cut off contact with Putin, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine. In contrast, Witkoff has pursued a different approach, focusing on building a relationship with Putin. After his first meeting in the Kremlin, Witkoff said he tried to develop "a friendship, a relationship" with Putin.