Russia Has Extremely Low Expectations for Trump Envoys’ Visit, Bloomberg Reports

Russia expects almost nothing from the next visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, despite their plans to arrive in Moscow with a proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

People close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg that earlier visits by Witkoff and Kushner produced no progress. They said there was no reason to expect acceptable proposals this time. Bloomberg reported that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is prepared to end the war only on his own terms, while Moscow’s demands are growing tougher because it believes it has the military advantage.

It remains unclear whether the US officials will bring new initiatives capable of breaking the deadlock in negotiations over Europe’s most serious conflict since the Second World War. Bloomberg also reported that Putin has given no indication he is ready to drop his demand that Ukraine hand over the remaining part of Donetsk Oblast as part of a possible agreement. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected that demand.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner would visit Kyiv over the weekend. He said Ukraine would ensure the “normal functioning of Russian airspace” during the envoys’ visits to Moscow and Kyiv. The statement followed media reports that the US representatives were considering alternative plans for their Kyiv visit because of what was described as Russian scaremongering.