RUSSIA’S PUTIN AND TRUMP’S ENVOY MEET IN ST.PETERSBURG- Witkoff is due in Oman on Saturday for talks with Iran
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met for talks today in St. Petersburg. Putin was also in St Petersburg to hold what the Kremlin called an “extraordinarily important” meeting about the development of the Russian Navy.
The Kremlin said Witkoff flew to Russia this morning for talks with President Vladimir Putin regarding a peace deal with Ukraine. Witkoff earlier today met with Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Witkoff is due in Oman on Saturday for talks with Iran over its nuclear program and Moscow has repeatedly offered its help to clinch a diplomatic settlement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today that prisoner swaps between Russia and the U.S. helped to cement trust between the two countries at a time when they are trying to rebuild their ties.
A Russian-American spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, has been exchanged for Arthur Petrov, whom the U.S. had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive electronics to Russia’s military.
U.S. and Russian officials said they had made progress during talks in Istanbul towards normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions as they begin to rebuild bilateral ties.
