Trump Envoy to Meet Putin in Moscow for Ukraine Negotiations

U.S. special envoy Stephen Whitkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 22. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the information about the upcoming talks.

«The Russians invited us to come, and that is a very important statement from their side,» said Whitkoff.

The U.S. president«s special envoy clarified in an interview with Bloomberg TV that he will depart for Moscow on Thursday evening along with entrepreneur Jared Kushner. According to the publication, Vladimir Putin received a new draft peace plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine in early January.

Special representative of the Russian president Kirill Dmitriev informally conveyed to Vladimir Putin a draft of the document, coordinated by the Americans with Ukrainian and European partners. This was done specifically so that the Russian side could prepare its remarks before the visit.

In the Kremlin, the new proposal, despite persisting disagreements, was assessed as a «significant step forward.» Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously called the continuation of dialogue with the U.S. «necessary, timely, and important.»

Whitkoff himself, on the eve of the visit, stated that there has been significant progress, noting that the initiative for the meeting comes from Moscow.

«But it is precisely the Russians who are asking for this meeting. I think that is an important statement from their side,» the special envoy said in an interview with CNBC.

Whitkoff also claimed that work on the 20-point plan is more than 90% complete. One of the main topics of the negotiations may be Ukraine«s position. Peskov, commenting on Donald Trump»s statement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hindering the peace process, said: «Here we can agree. Indeed, that is the case.» The Kremlin believes that Ukrainian authorities should start taking responsibility for decisions.

This meeting will be the first in 2026 and the seventh since the start of the U.S. special envoy«s diplomatic mission. On Tuesday, January 20, negotiations between Whitkoff and Kushner with Putin»s aide Kirill Dmitriev already took place in Davos, which were characterized as «very positive.»