Putin and Witkoff's meeting with the Kremlin deems it as successful and beneficial
The latest constructive meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, held in Moscow on Wednesday, focused on the ongoing Ukraine war and potential diplomatic developments, including a possible summit involving former President Trump.
Key developments include:
- Following the meeting, Witkoff planned to brief Ukrainian and NATO officials—including representatives from Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K.—via video conference on August 7, 2025, to discuss the outcomes and next steps.
- The possibility of a Trump-Putin summit and a trilateral summit including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was raised, but it has caused concerns among Ukrainian officials. They fear that Putin might be seeking a direct agreement with the U.S. excluding Ukraine and European partners.
- President Trump, who had previously adopted a tougher stance on Russia, shifted to a more optimistic tone after the meeting, highlighting "progress" and entertaining the idea of a future summit with Putin.
- The Kremlin confirmed mutual interest in the summit with Trump but expressed skepticism regarding the trilateral summit with Zelensky. Aides to Putin, such as Yury Ushakov, provided commentary on the meeting, underscoring its constructive nature but did not indicate concrete agreements.
- The situation has left Kyiv and European capitals uncertain whether U.S. policy on Russia and Ukraine is changing and whether sanctions planned by the U.S. would proceed as scheduled, adding to diplomatic confusion.
In the midst of this, it's important to note that the war in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing. Russia has escalated its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, making territorial gains as a result. Negotiations for a ceasefire between the two nations have been unsuccessful so far.
Trump has threatened Russia with further sanctions if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by Friday. However, Trump said he would wait for the outcome of Witkoff's talks in Moscow before taking any punitive measures.
The Kremlin considers threats of customs duties against Russia's trading partners as illegal. This could potentially affect Russia's trading partners, including China and India.
The Kremlin described the meeting as "constructive" from their perspective, and a video showing Putin and Witkoff shaking hands at the start of the meeting was released.
Sources: ntv.de, AFP
[1] https://www.ntv.de/politik/Russland-USA-Ukraine-Putin-Witkoff-treffen-in-Moskau-artikel,putin-witkoff-treffen-moskau.html [2] https://www.afp.com/en/news/2726409-putin-meets-us-envoy-witkoff-moscow-ukraine-conflict
- I'm not going to talk about the potential diplomatic developments, such as the Trump-Putin summit or the trilateral summit, as they have caused concerns among Ukrainian officials and the situation remains diplomatically confused.
- War-and-conflicts continue to dominate the news, with Russia escalating its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, politics playing a crucial role in the ongoing Ukraine war, and general news sources reporting on the latest updates from Moscow.
