The Kremlin has confirmed that Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, arrived in Moscow this morning for discussions on a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russian state media showed Witkoff’s plane landing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow around 12:30 PM local time on Thursday.
During a press briefing, the Kremlin spokesperson confirmed that US negotiators were coming to Moscow this Thursday, stating that “contacts are planned.”
US and Ukrainian officials agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that his country accepts the ceasefire proposal and that “the United States must convince Russia to do so.”
The spokesperson indicated that the Russian presidential aide spoke by phone on Wednesday with the US National Security Advisor. The White House press secretary also stated that the US advisor spoke with his Russian counterpart.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said he hoped to be able to secure a ceasefire from Russia. He had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12th. Yesterday, the US Secretary of State urged Russia to accept the truce without preconditions.
Steve Witkoff discussed the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip with Arab foreign ministers in Qatar on Wednesday.
On March 11th, the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. It had imposed these measures after a discussion at the White House on February 28th between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.