Breaking news! Vladimir Putin is reportedly open to a “permanent peace” agreement with Ukraine, as stated in an interview on Fox News this morning by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff, fresh from his third meeting with the Kremlin leader since January, described the discussion in St. Petersburg on Friday as “useful” and “stimulating,” with the goal of ending the conflict that has been ongoing for over three years.
“Putin’s request is to achieve a permanent peace. So, beyond the ceasefire, we have received a response,” said Witkoff, acknowledging that “it took some time to get to this point.” He also mentioned that two key advisers to Putin, Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, were present at the meeting in St. Petersburg.
“I believe we could be on the verge of something very, very important for the entire world,” Witkoff said, without specifying what Putin may be seeking as a condition for peace with Kiev.
Witkoff also highlighted that trade agreements between Russia and the United States are part of the negotiations: “I think there is an opportunity to reshape Russo-American relations through some very interesting commercial opportunities, which I believe can bring real stability to the region,” he emphasized.
Although Trump claims to be exerting pressure on Moscow and Kiev, no significant concessions have been obtained from the Kremlin so far, despite repeated negotiations between Russian and US officials. Despite diplomatic efforts, there have been few significant advances towards Trump’s main goal of achieving a ceasefire.
Last month, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukraine proposal for a complete and unconditional pause in the conflict, while the Kremlin linked a ceasefire in the Black Sea to the lifting of some Western sanctions. Yesterday, Trump accused Volodymyr Zelensky of “igniting” the war, only to later share the blame with Putin.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, Witkoff stated that the first direct meeting in Oman with Tehran’s envoys was “positive, constructive, and engaging.” Any nuclear agreement between the US and Iran will largely focus on monitoring the uranium enrichment program carried out by the Islamic Republic, Witkoff mentioned, without addressing the request for the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear program.
In his first term as US president in 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the international nuclear agreement with Tehran from 2015, bringing Iran back into the spotlight since returning to office in January. In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seeking nuclear talks – a program that Tehran claims is solely for civilian, energy purposes, but which the West and Israel have suspected for two decades of concealing a covert race for nuclear weapons – and hinting at possible military action if Tehran refuses.
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