Witkoff says talks with Russian envoy were ‘productive and constructive’ amid Trump admin’s peace push

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U.S.special envoySteve Witkoffsaid he had “productive and constructive meetings” with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine and is grateful for [the president’s] critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace,”Witkoff wrote on X.

During a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Witkoff said progress had been made and that there had been “lots of good things happening between the counterparties discussing the land deal.”

“I think thepeople of Ukraineare now hopeful and expecting that we’re going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon,” Witkoff added.

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

The meetings were held Saturday in Florida, according to Witkoff, and included Treasury SecretaryScott Bessent;Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner;and White House senior advisor Josh Gruenbaum.Witkoff and Kushner have been two of the key players from the Trump administration not only in the Russia-Ukraine deal, but also others, including the Israel-Gaza peace plan.

Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin shown in a split image

U.S.special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive” meetings with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida.(Getty Images)

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum also met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.After the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S.representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia.The talks were said to be constructive despite obstacles to peace remaining.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.“As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The U.S., Ukraine and Russia held a meeting hosted by the United Arab Emirates.( Reuters)

ZELENSKYY TOUTS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ TRILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN THE US, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IN ABU DHABI

Nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians are facing a brutal winter, and Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy resources have made conditions worse.However, PresidentDonald Trumpsaid Thursday at his Cabinet meeting that Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places in the region experiencing the frigid weather.

“And because of the cold, extreme cold — they have the same that we do — I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said, adding that Putin had “agreed to do that.” The president classified the weather in the region as being “record-setting cold.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that Trump had made the request for Putin to stop targeting Kyiv until Feb.1 “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” The Associated Press reported.The outlet noted it was odd that the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned Feb.1, as it would mean it was only a two-day pause.Additionally, the AP reported that the cold weather forecast is expected to get worse after Sunday.

The White House announced Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.(Reuters)

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Russia and Ukraine will hold another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi Sunday, according toThe Kyiv Independent.However, it is unclear whether the U.S.will participate in the talks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.