President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. particular envoy, in Moscow late Thursday and now expects to speak to President Trump a few doable cease-fire in Ukraine, the Kremlin mentioned.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, advised reporters on Friday that there was “actually” motive to really feel “cautious optimism” in regards to the prospects for a settlement to the warfare, after a flurry of diplomacy in latest days. He was echoing equally optimistic remarks made by Michael Waltz, Mr. Trump’s nationwide safety adviser, late Thursday.
The feedback from Mr. Peskov signaled that Russia was keen to maintain negotiating with the USA over Ukraine.
On Thursday, earlier than the assembly with Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Putin confirmed that he was in no hurry to simply accept the supply of a 30-day truce made by Ukraine and the USA this week. Mr. Putin advised a information convention that he was open to the proposal, however prompt that he would search to barter over a slew of points — equivalent to Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine — that might delay any deal or make it unattainable.
Mr. Peskov mentioned on Friday that Mr. Witkoff had “offered extra data to the Russian facet” and that Mr. Putin “handed alongside data and extra alerts for President Trump.”
However Mr. Peskov prompt that the end result of the diplomatic back-and-forth would solely change into clear after Mr. Witkoff had briefed Mr. Trump, and after the Russian and American leaders had spoken by telephone. Mr. Peskov added that the timing of a Trump-Putin name was but to be decided. The 2 leaders are final recognized to have spoken on Feb. 12.
“After Mr. Witkoff passes alongside the entire data he acquired in Moscow to his head of state — we’ll decide the timing of the dialog after that,” Mr. Peskov mentioned. “There’s an understanding on each side that such a dialog is critical.”
Mr. Peskov’s feedback had been the newest indication that Mr. Putin is seemingly attempting to steadiness a want to keep away from upsetting Mr. Trump together with his effort to power wide-ranging concessions from the West and from Ukraine. Whereas Mr. Trump says he needs to finish the warfare as rapidly as doable, Mr. Putin seems assured that he has time on his facet and that an unconditional cease-fire would profit Ukraine.
There was no quick remark from Mr. Witkoff or from the broader Trump administration in regards to the assembly with Mr. Putin. Mr. Witkoff, who’s formally the president’s Center East envoy, has additionally taken on a key position as an interlocutor with Russia — spending three hours assembly with Mr. Putin final month as he finalized a prisoner alternate between Russia and the USA.
Ukraine has already agreed to help the U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal, however provided that Russia does the identical. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine mentioned that Mr. Putin in his information convention had set so many circumstances “that nothing will work out in any respect or that it’ll not work out for so long as doable.”
However Mr. Waltz, the U.S. nationwide safety adviser, later mentioned on Fox Information that the White Home had “some cautious optimism” in regards to the prospects for a cease-fire. Mr. Witkoff, he mentioned, was “bringing issues again for us to judge and for President Trump to make selections on subsequent steps.”
Referring to Mr. Putin’s information convention on Thursday, Mr. Waltz mentioned, “In fact, each side are going to have their calls for, and naturally each side are going to need to make some compromises.”
