Witkoff holds eighth Kremlin meeting with Putin over Ukraine war
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are discussing a US proposal aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, with territory and security guarantees among the reported obstacles.
US envoy Steve Witkoff has held his eighth meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin as Washington pursues a path towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Witkoff was accompanied in Moscow by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The pair were due to travel to Kyiv the following day for their first reported visit to the Ukrainian capital.
The trip is centred on a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict, although the substance of the proposal and the outcome of the Kremlin meeting have not been disclosed. Reported obstacles to a peace deal include disagreements over territory and security guarantees.
Witkoff was first sent to meet Putin in February last year. Trump said at the time that he knew “nothing” about Russia, while arguing that “people just love Steve”. Witkoff has said he knows how to negotiate and that “the professionals haven’t solved it”.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Putin initiated the original connection with Witkoff after studying the psychological profiles of officials around Trump. It also reported that Witkoff was instructed to meet Putin alone, without CIA handlers, diplomats or an interpreter. Those claims have not been independently established in the available material.
