Witkoff met with Putin in Saint Petersburg on Friday to discuss a potential ceasefire to try to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end. Video posted to X, formerly Twitter, showed Witkoff, just before meeting the Russian leader, adjusting his tie and then placing his right hand on his heart. It wasn't clear what the gesture meant—some on social media viewed it as a sign of respect before the discussions began, while the move drew backlash from some critics of the Trump administration. Russian state media Tass reported that the meeting was announced earlier by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and that the two would discuss the "normalization of ties between Moscow and Washington and some aspects of the Ukrainian settlement." Trump has urged a ceasefire of the conflict, though it's unclear at this point that either side is ready. Whether or not Ukraine must give up any territory to Russia has remained a sticking point. While the administration has suggested Kyiv may need to make concessions to end the war, the Ukrainian government believes it should not give up any land as a result of an unjust invasion.
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has arrived in Russia and is set to meet with Russia President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The meeting between Witkoff and Putin will be the third one this year as President Trump continues to press for a permanent or least temporary end to the roughly three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
“Russia has to get moving. Too many people ere [sic] DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war — A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!” Trump said. The post came shortly before it was confirmed that Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Putin on Friday, for a third time. Just before 11:00 a.m. Eastern, Russian news agency Tass reported that Witkoff and Putin had begun a meeting. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Witkoff’s presence in Russia and that he was meeting with top officials, including the Russian president.
