Witkoff's trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia begin to show signs of progress. The White House in the US is actively pushing its peace plan to end the conflict.
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Who is Steve Witkoff?
What did Vladimir Putin say about Trump's plans?
What were the results of Witkoff's meeting with Ukrainian negotiators?
How does Moscow react to the US peace plan?
Key meeting in Florida
Before Witkoff traveled to Russia, he met with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday. Witkoff is a key figure who participated in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior adviser Jared Kushner also attended the meeting.
Marco Rubio described the talks as “very productive”. In a statement, he emphasized that the ultimate goal of diplomatic efforts “is not just to end the war.”
— Of course, it is necessary and fundamental. We want to end the killing, death and suffering, and I'm sure the Ukrainian side wants that too, Rubio said. He stressed, however, that it is also a goal “an end to the war that will ensure Ukraine's sovereignty and independence and enable true prosperity”.
Lavrov warns: threat of rejection of the plan
Although the White House promotes its plan, Moscow approaches it with great caution. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow may reject the peace agreement framework proposed by the White House.
Lavrov warned that if the terms of the “key agreements” were “extinguished”, the situation would become “fundamentally different”.
Putin: Trump's plan is a “starting point”
Despite his minister's strong comments, Vladimir Putin himself on Thursday expressed interest in Trump's plans to end the war, calling them a starting point.
“We need to sit down and discuss this seriously Putin told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
However, the Russian president stressed that Trump's plan should be treated as a “set of issues under discussion” rather than as a ready-made draft agreement. Putin stressed the importance of every element of the negotiations, adding: “every word matters.”
