Kremlin Hopes Witkoff Will ‘Brief’ Putin on Talks With Ukraine and Europe

Oct. 20, 2026 Steve Witkoff meets with Vladimir Putin in Russia. kremlin.ru The Kremlin said Tuesday that it hopes U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will “brief” President Vladimir Putin in the coming days on his talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Oslo amid ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff arrived in the Norwegian capital earlier in the day for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, top British, French, German and Polish representatives, as well as EU and NATO officials. Some U.S. news outlets reported that Witkoff may meet Putin in Russia on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has also been involved in peace negotiations, is participating alongside Witkoff virtually during the talks in Norway after having contracted the flu. “We hope that a meeting can be arranged in the very near future, and that the American negotiators, Mr. Witkoff, will be able to brief President Putin on their contacts with both the Ukrainians and the Europeans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Speaking to reporters during a daily briefing, Peskov said the Kremlin seeks to “continue the exchange of views on a range of very important issues” with Witkoff. “We consider such meetings to be of great importance on every occasion. They are always timely and very substantive, and we greatly appreciate the mediation efforts of the American negotiators,” he said. A U.S. official told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Witkoff hopes to “present ideas developed in close consultation with Ukraine and European partners.” “President Trump has directed an intensive process to develop a comprehensive peace proposal with Ukraine and Europe, and the next step is to test whether that work can form the basis for serious negotiations with Russia,” the official was quoted as saying. The New York Times reported Monday that Trump is seeking to “force a deal” on Zelensky, “even one written largely on Russia’s terms.” Putin continues to demand that Ukraine cede full control of the Donetsk region as a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement — a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. Sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg last month that Putin expects Russian forces to take full control of the Donetsk region by late February 2027. Witkoff and Kushner last visited Russia on Sept. 5, when subsequent reporting claimed Putin raised the prospect of a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the U.S. negotiators. Reuters contributed reporting. Read more about: Ukraine war , United States , Putin Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. 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