Putin Meets US Envoy Witkoff in Moscow Amid Ukraine Conflict Talks

Putin meets US envoy Witkoff in Moscow to discuss the war in Ukraine

Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, landed in Moscow on Wednesday. He is in the country to discuss the war in Ukraine and attempt to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

Otherwise, the US will impose sanctions on Russia, according to President Donald Trump.

"It might have an effect – or it might not," Trump said last week.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin seems to want to avoid the demands for a ceasefire and has no interest in ending the war, sources told Reuters. New sanctions against Russia might only fuel Putin's desire to continue the conflict, the sources suggest.

Bildt: "Must Give Trump Something"

However, he might have some tricks up his sleeve to try to appease the US and their demands for a ceasefire. According to Bloomberg, Putin is considering implementing a ceasefire in the airspace with Ukraine.

This would, however, require Ukraine's agreement – and the ground fighting would continue as it has for the past three and a half years.

Carl Bildt, former Moderate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, believes Putin might come up with a ploy to appease Trump.

"We'll see what diversionary tactic Putin will offer this time. An 'airspace ceasefire'? Or something else? He is completely against a real ceasefire, but he must give Trump something," he writes on X.

Initially, it was unclear which Russian representatives Witkoff would meet in Russia, but during the day, state Russian media reported that he met with Putin himself.

Images published in Russian state media show that Putin and Witkoff met on Wednesday in the Kremlin.