The special envoy Steve Witkoff from Donald Trump flew to Russia on Friday and it seemed likely that he would hold conversations with President Vladimir Putin, such as American tensions with Moscow’s close allies Iran and China spiked.
The Kremlin confirmed the arrival of Mr Witkoff and the Izvestia News Outlet has released video of the envoy of the US President who left a hotel in the second city of St. Petersburg in Russia, accompanied by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s Investment Envoy.
The Kremlin refused to confirm whether Mr Witkoff would hold conversations with Mr Putin, but Axios, who previously reported his journey with a source that was familiar with the case, said the two would meet.
Mr. Witkoff has emerged as a key figure in the on-and-out increase between Moscow and Washington in the midst of the Russian side of potential joint investments in the Arctic and in the Russian rare earth minerals while the two countries continue to look for the overview of a possible peace agreement in Ukraine.
Putin was also in St. Petersburg on Friday to hold what the Kremlin called an “extremely important” meeting about the development of the Russian Navy that is in the grip of a large modernization and expansion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday, local time. ((Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters))
If he met Mr. Witkoff, this would come to a third meeting this year at a time when the American tensions with Iran and China – two countries with which Russia has close ties – would seriously tense about the nuclear program of Tehran and a fast -growing trade war with Beijing.
Mr. Witkoff was in Oman on Saturday for conversations with Iran about his nuclear program after Mr Trump Tehran threatened with military action if it does not agree with a deal. Moscow has repeatedly offered his help in trying to achieve a diplomatic settlement.
The American and Russian officials held conversations in Istanbul on Thursday, both of which they said they had made progress in normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions while starting to rebuild their own bilateral ties.
The dialogue of the US and Russia aimed at the match of a ceasefire for a possible peace agreement to terminate the war in Ukraine, however, seems to have stuck on disagreements about the conditions for a complete cease-fire.
Mr. Trump, who has shown signs to lose patience, talked about imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil when he thinks Moscow is dragging his feet on a Ukrainian deal.
A meeting in February between Mr. Witkoff and Mr Putin Culmin, with the American envoy who flew home with Marc Fogel, had designated an American teacher Washington as incorrectly held by Russia.
A Russian-American spa-employee Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, was exchanged on Thursday for Arthur Petrov, who had accused the US of forming a global smuggling ring for ghost-sensitive electronics for Russian soldiers.
The US lists different Americans – some double citizens – who are in prison in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard, a teacher who has officially declared Washington as wrong.
Reuters
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