Photo: from open sources
US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in Moscow, but the Kremlin denies his role as a mediator in the talks between Washington and Moscow.
According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, “the United States has identified a mediator, and it is not Steve Witkoff.”
What do you know about Witkoff’s visit?
- Witkoff’s Gulfstream G650ER aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after departing from Qatar, where he had participated in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.
- Yuriy Ushakov stressed that Vitkoff is not an official mediator in the negotiations between the US and Russia.
- According to him, any such contacts “will be closed.
Is Moscow ready for peace talks?
In an interview with Russian TV, Ushakov stressed that Russia is not seeking a temporary truce, but a “long-term peaceful settlement”.
“Nobody seems to need steps that imitate peaceful actions,” Vedomosti quoted him as saying.
When presenter Olga Skabeeva asked whether this meant a rejection of the peace agreement, Ushakov avoided a direct answer, saying that he was only expressing his point of view.
Kremlin has been in touch with Trump’s team
- Ushakov said that he had spoken to Trump’s aide Mike Waltz the day before and outlined the Kremlin’s position.
- According to him, Moscow believes that a 30-day ceasefire will give Kyiv time to regroup its troops, rather than become a real step towards peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to present the Kremlin’s official position on the talks at a press conference in the coming days.
Vitkoff’s visit and his true role in the negotiations remain open questions. Is he Trump’s shadow mediator, or is Washington really playing a different diplomatic game?
