Trump envoy arrives for talks with Putin
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in Moscow for another round of discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The visit, part of a broader diplomatic push by Washington, is intended to move forward a proposed peace plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff has already traveled to Russia three times in recent months, meeting with top Russian officials including Putin. The ongoing talks reflect a deepening effort by both countries to end the hostilities through negotiation.
The agreement proposed by Washington reportedly includes US recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, as well as 'freezing' the conflict along the current front line and acknowledging Moscow's control over large parts of four former Ukrainian regions which have voted to Russia. The deal would also reportedly prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and initiate a phased removal of sanctions imposed on Russia.
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky rejected the plan on Tuesday, dismissing any recognition of Crimea's status as Russian territory. In response, Trump warned on Wednesday that by refusing to cooperate, Zelensky risks the complete collapse of his state.
Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not attend a meeting on Ukraine held in London this week. The move came shortly after Zelensky's public dismissal of key elements in the US proposal.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed to AFP that the meeting of foreign ministers from countries supporting Kiev had been postponed indefinitely. However, they noted that technical-level discussions would continue.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Russia, Ukraine hold another POW exchange
Russia and Ukraine have conducted a fresh prisoner swap, both nations have confirmed. The exchange on Saturday is the latest in a series that have been held since the start of the week. During the latest round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, Moscow and Kiev agreed to carry out a series of exchanges, focusing primarily on seriously injured, ill, and younger captives. Russia also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian troops on humanitarian grounds. In a statement on Saturday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said that earlier in the day 'another group of Russian service members was returned from the territories controlled by the Kiev regime.' Russian military officials added that Ukraine had similarly received an undisclosed number of its soldiers who had been held in Russian captivity. The ministry accompanied its message with a short video clip depicting the released Russian troops, saying that they were currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, before being transferred to Russian military hospitals for treatment and rehabilitation. In a post on his Telegram channel also on Saturday, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the 'fourth [POW] exchange in a week.' Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Moscow had handed over another 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian troops to Kiev, as quoted by the local media. Similar POW exchanges took place on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with neither Moscow nor Kiev disclosing the number of captives they handed over and received. Russia's top negotiator in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky previously said that approximately 1,200 prisoners each were expected to be handed over by Moscow and Kiev respectively. Additionally, on Wednesday and Friday, Russia handed over the remains of 1,200 fallen Ukrainian soldiers on each occasion.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Russia Today
Western media misquotes Moscow on NATO expansion threat
A Western news outlet has misrepresented statements made by a senior Russian official on NATO expansion toward its borders, in an apparent attempt to fuel the narrative that Russia poses a threat to European members of the US-led military bloc. The US-based weekly Newsweek published an article earlier this week titled 'Russia won't end Ukraine war until NATO 'pulls out' of Baltics: Moscow,' in which it claimed that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who oversees relations with the Americas, non-proliferation, and arms control, made the remarks in an interview with TASS news agency. 'The Ukraine war won't end until NATO withdraws troops from the Baltics, a top Russian official has warned,' Newsweek wrote. However, in Ryabkov's quotes, there was no mention of the Baltic states. Two days after publication, the outlet added a disclaimer, stating it had 'updated' both the headline and the text 'to reflect that Sergei Ryabkov did not reference the Baltic states, but rather NATO's 'Eastern European contingent'.' The correction came after Latvia's ambassador to NATO, Maris Riekstins, criticized the report. 'He didn't make any reference to Baltic states,' Riekstins posted on X, calling Newsweek's interpretation 'very strange.' Despite the correction, Newsweek's claim was picked up by several other outlets, including Lithuanian state broadcaster LRT, which cited the original headline while adding comments from 'Baltic officials and observers' alleging that Russia plans to attack the region after the Ukraine conflict ends – an accusation Moscow has dismissed as 'nonsense.' In the interview with TASS Ryabkov discussed the root causes of the Ukraine conflict, including NATO expansion toward Russia's borders and Western support for Ukraine's ambition to join the bloc. He stressed that to deescalate tensions and normalize Russia-US relations, Washington must 'show respect for Russia's fundamental interests,' particularly its border security. 'The American side requires practical steps aimed at eliminating the root causes of the fundamental contradictions between us in the area of security. Among these causes, NATO expansion is in the foreground,' Ryabkov said. 'Without resolving this fundamental and most acute problem for us, it is simply impossible to resolve the current conflict in the Euro-Atlantic region.' He reiterated Russia's demand for 'legally binding and long-term guarantees of non-expansion of NATO to the East, as well as demands for non-deployment of strike weapons near Russian borders.' Ryabkov noted that Russia's position on this 'remains unchanged' and added that 'reducing NATO's contingent in Eastern Europe would probably benefit the security of the entire continent.' At no point in the interview did Ryabkov mention the Baltics.
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Russia Today
Ukrainian vet behind Dutch knife spree wanted life sentence
A Ukrainian national who faces multiple attempted murder charges after a stabbing spree in Amsterdam has been identified as a military deserter who reportedly dreamed of spending the rest of his life in a Western European prison, according to a Dutch media investigation. The suspect, who is accused of injuring five people near Dam Square in March, was identified as 30-year-old Roman D. The Dutch public prosecutor suggested earlier this month that the attack could have had a terrorist motive. Public broadcaster NOS revealed the Ukrainian national's background on Tuesday following an investigation by its current affairs program, Nieuwsuur. According to the report, Roman D. served in a Ukrainian artillery unit before the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. Acquaintances said he became increasingly withdrawn after suffering a concussion in 2023 and spoke of wanting to be jailed for life in a Western European country. 'He often said that he wanted to kill someone in Norway so that he could go to a prison there and be cared for for the rest of his life,' a former commander told NOS. The remarks were reportedly dismissed as jokes at the time. When I first heard what Roman had done in Amsterdam, I thought: 'an idiot's dream has come true.' Roman reportedly left Ukraine using a travel waiver issued for a visit to his mother in the Czech Republic. She told NOS, however, that he never arrived – instead, he apparently traveled directly to the Netherlands. He remained in contact with former fellow soldiers, who described him as being interested in a wide range of ideologies. '[He] wrote about Allah and something about supporting Palestine. Surprisingly enough, he was also very active in supporting the LGBT community,' one source told the broadcaster. NOS also found that Roman's online presence suggested an association with neo-Nazism, though friends claimed his interest wasn't in earnest. Officials in Eastern European countries, including Poland and the Czech Republic, have expressed concerns over the potential influx of demobilized Ukrainian soldiers once Kiev lifts martial law and allows fighting-age men to leave the country. Veterans 'can face a number of different problems: Adaptation issues, psychosis, depression, addictions,' Polish military psychiatrist Radoslaw Tworus warned in February. 'The spectrum of these disorders is very wide.'
