“WSJ” described Russian preparations for Witkoff's visit in February 2025 to Moscow. It was his first meeting with Vladimir Putin and lasted about 3.5 hours. According to the American daily, the Russian leader studied the biography of US President Donald Trump's envoys delegated to talks with the Kremlin on ending the war with Ukraine. The invitation to this meeting was forwarded to Witkoff by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
General Keith Kellogg, the president's envoy to Ukraine, has proven to be a poor interlocutor for the Russian authorities because his daughter has a foundation helping Ukrainians suffering from the Russian invasion.
Witkoff does not use the “Moscow manual”
The daily noted that over time, Kellogg was removed from contacts with the Russians, and his role was taken over by Steve Witkoff on the US side and Kirill Dmitriev on the Russian side. Dmitriev was born in Ukraine and studied in the United States; After Putin came to power, he moved to Russia, where he worked for American companies, including: for Goldman Sachs.
Describing the current relations between the US and Russia, “WSJ” noted that they were dealt with by appropriate structures and were handled by qualified people who knew the customs of Russians. “Today these structures are absent,” the daily wrote. The United States has not had an ambassador in Moscow since June, and the office of deputy secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs is vacant.
The daily emphasized that businessmen are currently responsible for relations between Moscow and Washington, which is something new. “WSJ”, citing sources, pointed out that Witkoff allegedly refused to use tips and instructions from the CIA before his visit to Moscow.
“He claimed that Putin told him that he had to come to the meeting with him alone” the newspaper wrote. The State Department was supposed to create a special working group to support Witkoff, but members of the task force and other administration officials said they had difficulty obtaining, for example, notes from the special envoy's meetings.
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For decades, senior U.S. officials visiting Russia were instructed by a book known as the Moscow Rules. It describes the dangers associated with visits to Russia and cooperation with citizens of this country. Witkoff was not supposed to use this help either.
At the same time, a senior White House official told WSJ that Witkoff is aware of the allegations from the rest of the administration, but travels with diplomatic protection and participates in meetings of the National Security Council, the National Intelligence Agency and in meetings with US Secretary of State Mark Rubio. Witkoff follows his meetings with Putin by calling Trump, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Rubio, communicating via a secure line from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
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The newspaper recalled that Witkoff, during his career in the real estate market, repeatedly did business with ruling families in the Middle East. Therefore, contact with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who invited him to the Kremlin, was easier.
According to “WSJ”, Putin's plan for the first meeting with Witkoff (held in February in Moscow) was to check whether he actually favors Russia. If the conversation went well, Witkoff would receive a gift. The US special envoy received an award from the Russian leader that was intended to strengthen their relations. Marc Fogel, a history teacher at the high school attached to the US Embassy in Moscow, was released from the labor camp after being sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for possessing medical marijuana at the Moscow airport.
Kiril Dmitriev is Putin's envoy for the talks taking place in Miami this weekend. Shortly before arriving in Florida, Dmitriev commented on the Wall Street Journal article on the X platform. Vladimir Putin's representative accused the American newspaper of making another attempt to ruin efforts for peace in Ukraine.
In his opinion, Marc Fogel, imprisoned by Russia, was released at the request of the Americans and not, as the newspaper described, in a gift for Witkoff for good attitude during a conversation with the leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He also denied that the Russian side had asked for the US envoy to go to the Kremlin without the services, as well as the reports about caviar allegedly given to Witkoff by the Russians.
Russian gift sent to Americans
The gifts are intended to be an important part of the business relationship that Moscow and Washington are establishing through the cooperation between Witkoff and Dmitriev. In December, after his sixth meeting with Putin, a Russian caviar company sent Witkoff about 5 kg of red caviar. The newspaper pointed out that it is a product of a mid-price company that wants to sell its products under the “Trumpovka” label. The White House denied these reports.
This is not the only product that refers to the Trump administration. After Witkoff's visit to Moscow, Dmitriev posted on the X platform a photo of a vodka bottle with Trump's photo, standing against the background of Red Square with the inscription: “Make Vodka Great Again.”
