Photo: RFI
The recent trip of Steve Whitkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, to Moscow on 11 February could be a key one for US-Russian relations. According to Fox News host Sean Hannity and The Washington Post, Whitkoff held a 3.5-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, DW reported, although there is no official confirmation of this information.
This meeting could have been part of a broader diplomatic game, as, according to The New York Times, Trump personally authorised Whitkoff to open a channel for talks with Russia. Prior to his visit to Moscow, Whitkoff also met with high-ranking representatives of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to discuss the situation in Ukraine and other global challenges.
At the same time, in Washington, Donald Trump met with Mark Vogel, an American citizen who was released from Russian custody and arrived in the United States with Whitkoff. The US President announced that another “recognisable” American would be released on 12 February, although the details of this release remain unknown.
The Kremlin, in turn, reported “intensified work through the relevant agencies”, noting that these efforts resulted in the release of Vogel and one Russian detained in the United States. Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that these agreements are important steps to build mutual trust between the two countries, despite the current tensions in relations.
These developments point to a potentially new stage in US-Russian relations, which could affect global political dynamics, including the settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
