American Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on Tuesday afternoon, the Kremlin confirmed on Monday. The White House’s proposal to end the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine will be addressed by the duo.
President Donald Trump launched an aggressive round of negotiations last week after unveiling a 28-point peace plan and beginning talks with Ukrainian leaders. The original version of the peace proposal reportedly included demands for concessions from both Russia and Ukraine, as well as concrete assurances on Russia’s part that it would no longer pursue the conquest of its neighbor. The plan reportedly required an immediate ceasefire to protect civilian lives and for Ukraine to allow Russia to retain control of its occupied Donbass region, which Putin “annexed” in 2022. Ukraine reportedly also had to commit to not pursue NATO membership and limit the size of its military. In return, Russia would reportedly face a military response internationally if it continued to pursue colonization of Ukraine and sanctions.
After negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, last week with the Ukrainian government, reports indicated that the peace proposal was significantly modified, brought down to about 19 or 20 points and reportedly more favorite to Kyiv than the original plan. No official version of the updated peace proposal has been shared publicly, nor have the negotiating parties confirmed the information shared anonymously in mainstream media, and the Russian government has repeatedly insisted it had not been shown any official document prior to the meeting with Witkoff.
While reports last week suggested a peace deal was possible by Thanksgiving, Moscow insisted it would not be able to accept or reject any agreement without meeting with President Trump’s envoy and discussion the situation privately.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Putin’s top spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the leader would meet Witkoff on Tuesday. He refused to answer questions about the specifics of the negotiated peace agreement, again emphasizing that the Russian government does not yet have enough information to offer the press details. Asked by the outlet Reuters whether Ukraine would have to abandon its aspirations to join NATO, Peskov replied, “Are you suggesting we discuss this with Reuters rather than with Witkoff? In that case, we definitely prefer Witkoff.”
Peskov also noted that Putin is welcoming a host of international visitors this week, including delegations from India and potential China, calling his schedule “very demanding.”
The Russian government has acted with extreme caution regarding commentary about the potential of a peace deal to end its invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2014 but escalated into a full-scale Russian military assault in 2022. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov insisted in remarks last week following the publication of American mainstream media reports on the negotiations with Kyiv that Moscow had no position yet, as it had not been formally introduced into the peace process.
“The Russian side has not negotiated any specific documents with anyone yet,” Ushakov asserted. “We have scheduled a meeting with Mr. Witkoff. I hope he is not arriving alone and that other members of the U.S. team handling the Ukrainian dossier will accompany him.”
Similarly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted last week that his government had “not yet provided us with the version [of the peace deal] the media are speculating about.”
Witkoff’s conversation with Putin will follow intense negotiations in Florida on Sunday with representatives of the Ukrainian government, led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov. Reports indicated that Witkoff engaged in those talks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who later commented that the negotiations were labor-intensive but yielding progress.
“I think we started laying the groundwork for that, most certainly in Geneva,” Secretary of State Rubio remarked on Sunday, referring to the Switzerland meeting last week. “I think we continued that work in our communications throughout the week.”
Rubio referred to the war as “complicated” and “delicate” – and noted that Russia has yet to weigh in substantially on the negotiations – but “today was, again, a very productive and useful session where I think additional progress was made.”
Trump himself also commented on the talks, stating, “there’s a good chance we can make a deal” in comments to reporters on Sunday. He did not offer a concrete deadline for the negotiations to yield a prolonged peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement late on Sunday thanking Trump and the U.S. government for their mediating role.
“It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “I am grateful to the United States, to President Trump’s team, and to the President personally for the time that is being invested so intensively in defining the steps to end the war. We will continue working.”
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