Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week, accompanied by senior U.S. officials, for discussions with Russian leaders.

The latest peace proposal has taken officials in Washington, Europe, and Kyiv by surprise, causing concern that former President Trump might pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace agreement skewed in favor of Moscow.

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick voiced the need for a strategic shift, labeling the Witkoff meeting as a “major problem” in a social media post.

Trump later said progress was being made and Russia was making concessions even though the war — in which Russian forces have been advancing — was only going to move “in one direction”.

Russia says ‘premature’ to claim peace deal close

Russia has also expressed concerns about the leak of Witkoff and Ushakov’s call, saying it was an unacceptable attempt to undermine peace efforts and amounted to hybrid warfare.

It’s been nearly four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Source: Getty / Global Images Ukraine

Russian forces control more than 19 per cent of Ukraine following Moscow’s 2022 invasion, and have advanced in 2025 at the fastest pace since 2022, although the advances remain slow and Ukraine says Russia has incurred heavy losses to achieve them.