Steve Witkoff did not keep lengthy within the Russian capital.
In keeping with photos posted of his motorcade leaving and returning to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, he was once right here for little greater than 12 hours.
And for many of that, it sort of feels, he was once left ready.
Trump’s fixer leaves Moscow – peace talks newest
Symbol: US particular envoy Steve Witkoff speaking to newshounds on the White Space. Pic: AP
Mr Witkoff, a former belongings rich person who has change into Donald Trump’s leader negotiator, and is frequently known as the president’s ‘fixer’, were dispatched to Moscow to ship the United States proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to Vladimir Putin.
His consult with were scheduled close to the beginning of the week, following the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
However after arriving round lunchtime on Thursday, he was once left twiddling his thumbs for no less than 8 hours prior to being known as into the Kremlin.
Mr Putin was once it appears too busy assembly anyone else – Belarusian chief Aleksander Lukashenko – for a all of a sudden organized state consult with that were introduced the day prior to.
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1:27 Is a ceasefire in Ukraine nonetheless viable?
Used to be best friend’s consult with a vintage Putin energy play?
We do not know evidently if the timing of Mr Lukashenko’s consult with was once planned, but it surely without a doubt did not really feel like a twist of fate.
As a substitute, it felt like a vintage Putin energy play.
Symbol: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Pic: Reuters
The Kremlin chief does not love to be sponsored right into a nook and instructed what to do, particularly on his personal turf.
This felt like a message to the American citizens – “I am the boss, I set the time table, and I am not beholden to any person”.
He did ultimately grant Mr Witkoff that all-important face time, as soon as evening had fallen and in the back of closed-doors.
We do not understand how lengthy they spoke for, nor the precise main points in their dialogue, however I feel we will make a horny just right bet given Mr Putin’s feedback previous within the night time.
At a press convention along Mr Lukashenko, he made it abundantly transparent that he will best signal as much as a ceasefire if he will get one thing in go back.
And it isn’t only one factor he desires.
All Russia’s crimson strains stay
By way of the sounds of items, he nonetheless desires the whole thing.
His remark in regards to the “root reasons” of the war suggests all of Russia’s crimson strains stay – no NATO club for Ukraine, no NATO troops as peacekeepers, and for Russia to stay all of the territory it has seized.
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In keeping with Russian media outlet Radio Mayak, Mr Putin’s conferences within the Kremlin completed at 1.30am.
Round part an hour later, Mr Witkoff was once again on the airport – leaving Russia, it sort of feels – no longer with Mr Putin’s settlement however with an inventory of calls for.
It is now as much as Mr Trump to make a decision what to do subsequent.
