#us-russia-diplomacy

#us-russia-diplomacy

The U.S. is close to agreement with Ukraine on a peace plan, but has so far had little clear success in getting Putin on board, though he hasn't rejected it outright. Territorial control in eastern Ukraine will be the primary issue discussed in Abu Dhabi, sources say. Driving the news: White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum met with Putin inside the Kremlin.

The fact that Russia has yet to accept the 20-point plan is one reason the White House didn't want to sign a "prosperity plan" for Ukraine during the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Driving the news: Witkoff said in an interview with CNBC that he and Kushner would meet Putin on Thursday. The Kremlin later confirmed it. Witkoff and Kushner met on Tuesday in Davos with Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev and discussed the U.S. peace plan.

Moscow shows no sign of wanting peace. It actively threatens other countries too, including Britain. Ukraine is running out of money. Yet 184bn worth of Russian assets remain frozen in Europe, notably in Belgium. That money should therefore be mobilised to fund Ukraine. To many, this would be the enactment of a clear and present duty, proof positive that Europe can still be a heavy hitter.

Driving the news: The talks in Miami take place after a five-hour meeting between Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Putin on Tuesday. President Trump said the talks in Moscow were "very good" and stressed his envoys came back with the impression that Putin wants to make a deal. No immediate breakthroughs were announced, and both Moscow and Washington kept mum on the details of the discussion.

The meeting is expected to address borders, security guarantees, frozen Russian assets, and potential US-Russian investment projects. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin would receive Witkoff, whose role has been under the scanner after reports emerged that he advised a senior Kremlin aide on how to present a Ukraine peace plan to US President Donald Trump. "I think the administration feels very optimistic," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.

This is a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop. Allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to do his job in a fair and objective manner.

A day later Trump held a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky and made clear he wants both Russia and Ukraine to stop the war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected to meet within days with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, ahead of the leaders summit. A phone call between Rubio and Lavrov on Monday ended with no agreement on a meeting or progress toward a summit between Putin and Trump.