Steve Witkoff did not keep lengthy within the Russian capital.
In keeping with footage posted of his motorcade leaving and returning to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, he was right here for little greater than 12 hours.
And for many of that, it appears, he was left ready.
Trump’s fixer leaves Moscow – peace talks newest
Picture:
US particular envoy Steve Witkoff speaking to reporters on the White Home. Pic: AP
Mr Witkoff, a former property mogul who has develop into Donald Trump’s chief negotiator, and is also known as the president’s ‘fixer’, had been dispatched to Moscow to ship the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to Vladimir Putin.
His go to had been 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 left twiddling his thumbs for at the very least eight hours earlier than being referred to as into the Kremlin.
Mr Putin was apparently too busy assembly another person – Belarusian chief Aleksander Lukashenko – for a unexpectedly organized state go to that had been introduced the day earlier than.
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Is a ceasefire in Ukraine nonetheless viable?
Was ally’s go to a traditional Putin energy play?
We do not know for certain if the timing of Mr Lukashenko’s go to was deliberate, however it actually did not really feel like a coincidence.
As an alternative, it felt like a traditional Putin energy play.
Picture:
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Pic: Reuters
The Kremlin chief does not prefer to be backed right into a nook and instructed what to do, particularly on his personal turf.
This felt like a message to the People – “I’m the boss, I set the schedule, and I’m not beholden to anyone”.
He did ultimately grant Mr Witkoff that all-important face time, as soon as evening had fallen and behind closed-doors.
We do not know the way lengthy they spoke for, nor the precise particulars of their dialogue, however I feel we are able to make a reasonably good guess given Mr Putin’s feedback earlier within the night.
At a press convention alongside Mr Lukashenko, he made it abundantly clear that he’ll solely signal as much as a ceasefire if he will get one thing in return.
And it isn’t only one factor he needs.
All Russia’s pink strains stay
By the sounds of issues, he nonetheless needs every little thing.
His remark concerning the “root causes” of the battle suggests all of Russia’s pink strains stay – no NATO membership for Ukraine, no NATO troops as peacekeepers, and for Russia to maintain all of the territory it has seized.
In keeping with Russian media outlet Radio Mayak, Mr Putin’s conferences within the Kremlin completed at 1.30am.
Round half an hour later, Mr Witkoff was again on the airport – leaving Russia, it appears – not with Mr Putin’s settlement however with an inventory of calls for.
It is now as much as Mr Trump to resolve what to do subsequent.
