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U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism after holding “productive and constructive meetings” with Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev. These discussions are part of the Trump administration’s continuous efforts to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff shared on X, “We’re encouraged by this meeting as it indicates Russia’s commitment to achieving peace in Ukraine. We appreciate [the president’s] vital leadership in working towards a lasting peace.”
During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Witkoff reported positive progress, noting significant developments in negotiations concerning the land agreements under discussion.
“The Ukrainian people are hopeful and expect us to finalize a peace agreement soon,” Witkoff remarked.
The meetings, which took place on Saturday in Florida, were attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Advisor Josh Gruenbaum. Witkoff and Kushner play pivotal roles in the Trump administration’s peace initiatives, including efforts in both the Russia-Ukraine situation and the Israel-Gaza peace process.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive” meetings with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida. (Getty Images)
Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum also met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive despite obstacles to peace remaining.
“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”
The U.S., Ukraine and Russia held a meeting hosted by the United Arab Emirates. (Â Reuters)
Nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians are facing a brutal winter, and Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy resources have made conditions worse. However, President Donald Trump said Thursday at his Cabinet meeting that Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places in the region experiencing the frigid weather.
“And because of the cold, extreme cold — they have the same that we do — I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said, adding that Putin had “agreed to do that.” The president classified the weather in the region as being “record-setting cold.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that Trump had made the request for Putin to stop targeting Kyiv until Feb. 1 “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” The Associated Press reported. The outlet noted it was odd that the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned Feb. 1, as it would mean it was only a two-day pause. Additionally, the AP reported that the cold weather forecast is expected to get worse after Sunday.
The White House announced Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Reuters)
Russia and Ukraine will hold another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi Sunday, according to The Kyiv Independent. However, it is unclear whether the U.S. will participate in the talks.