US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to travel to Moscow to meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the near future, amid work to advance a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
Sources said the meeting could take place this month, but cautioned that plans are not yet final and the timing could be shifted due to events in Iran, where the country has been gripped by more than two weeks of unrest.
A White House official said no such meeting is currently scheduled. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment.
It remains unclear how eager Putin is to hold this second meeting with the two of them, and that appears to be the main obstacle to setting a date, one of the sources said.
American and Ukrainian officials have in recent days welcomed significant progress on a 20-point plan to end hostilities, saying it is about 90% complete, although key issues remain.
The Kremlin has so far stuck to its demand that Ukraine withdraw troops from the remaining areas of Donbas that its forces have not been able to capture. In response, Ukraine has proposed freezing the current line of contact or a mutual withdrawal of both sides from the front to create a buffer zone.
Moscow also opposes the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine and wants the lands it occupies to be recognized as Russian, some sources said. Control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was seized by Kremlin forces, and the fate of about $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets also remain unresolved.
According to other sources, American officials will present the latest draft plans to Putin and his team.
Discussions are expected to cover security guarantees that the US and Europe will provide to Ukraine to ensure the implementation of any peace agreement, as well as the post-war reconstruction of the country.
Trump earlier this month said he was "not thrilled" with Putin, but it is unclear whether he is inclined to increase pressure on Moscow despite new frustrations, the publication writes. The US has prepared further sanctions if the president decides to act in connection with Russia's continued refusal of a peace deal, the publication writes.
Meanwhile, the US, Europe, and Ukraine are nearing an agreement on these security guarantees, including ways to monitor any ceasefire, deter Russia from re-attacking and respond if it does, and agreements concerning Ukraine's future economic development and prosperity.
"Kyiv hopes to finalize the agreements in Davos at the World Economic Forum later this month, which Trump and European leaders are expected to attend," the publication says.
Witkoff and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, visited Moscow and met with Putin in December. During that trip, negotiations lasted almost five hours but did not lead to a breakthrough. Witkoff met with Putin in Russia six times last year.
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