Trump envoy Witkoff lands in Russia, India's NSA Doval in Moscow; meeting on the cards?

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2 days ago

Ahead of US President Donald Trump's deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow to hold talks with Russian officials. Incidentally, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also in Moscow. read more
Ahead of US President Donald Trump's deadline for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday arrived in Moscow to hold talks with Russian officials — possibly Vladimir Putin as well.
Late last month, Trump shortened the 50-day ultimatum to Putin to agree to a ceasefire in his war on Ukraine to 10-12 days. The deadline will expire this week. With his continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians and statements, Putin has so far shown no indication that he wants a ceasefire.
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On the failure to reach a ceasefire, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia and those countries buying Russian oil. He has already slapped 25 per cent tariff on India and has said he would 'substantially' increase that and impose additional penalties over the trade with Russia.
Incidentally, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also in Moscow in the moment. Even though Doval's visit had been planned in advance of Witkoff's visit, there has been speculation about a meeting between the two officials, possibly to manage the spiralling relations between the two countries.
Witkoff arrives in Moscow as Putin remains defiant
Witkoff's visit comes just ahead of Trump's Friday deadline to Putin to agree to a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has previously said that Witkoff could have a meeting with Putin.
However, Putin so far not indicated that he wants peace — or at least real peace.
Last week, in an apparent reference to Trump's deadline, Putin said that 'all disappointments arise from inflated expectations'. Making it clear that he had no intention to stop ongoing ground offensive, he said that 'to stop our advance at any cost' was the objective of Russia's enemies and ill-wishers.
Separately, Reuters on Tuesday reported three sources as saying that Putin's determination to keep going with the offensive is prompted by his belief that Russia is winning the and belief that any new US sanctions will not have much of an impact on Russia.
Even though Putin does not want to anger Trump, the war goals take precedence, two of the sources told the news agency.
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One of the sources said that Putin's goal now is to completely capture Ukraine's four provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
However, there is a possibility that Putin may be able to convince Trump via Witkoff. Analysts have said that Putin has been looking for a short-term break in the war to replenish the Russian forces and rearm the troops. For such a purpose, Putin may very well agree to a ceasefire now to escape Trump's immediate wrath and return later to war. Witkoff, who has long been very friendly to Putin and Russia, may be the best person to convince Trump if this is what Putin has decided.
'For Putin, the ideal scenario is to freeze the conflict for a while, build up strength, and then resume the war — ideally with a more plausible pretext, such as accusing Ukraine of failing to comply with peace agreements,' Kseniya Kirillova, a Russia analyst at Jamestown Foundation, previously told Firstpost.
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Is Witkoff-Doval meeting on the cards?
As Witkoff and Doval are both in Moscow, there is speculation about a meeting, but there not been any official confirmation.
Doval's visit had been planned before and he is expected to speak to Russian officials about the delivery of S-400 air defence systems, according to The Hindu.
The S-400 is among the many Russian defence deals that are running late by several years. As Russia has devoted all resources to the war on Ukraine, it has not been able to deliver the various platforms it has signed deals for, such as the S-400 air defence systems and navy vessels.
The Hindu reported that US tariffs are also expected to feature in Doval's meetings in Moscow.