Putin has often said the 2022 peace negotiations in Istanbul could serve as a framework for peace talks with Ukraine.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russia should not necessarily be blamed for sparking the war in Ukraine — a position that aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent strikes against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the three-year anniversary of the fighting looms.

When Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts by a jury last May, there was one person in his courtroom entourage who wasn’t one of his lawyers, aides or family members: Steve Witkoff.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed unverified media reports that U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff had flown to Moscow on Tuesday, stating that Russian authorities had no plans for any contact with the Trump administration member.

President Trump is leaning on Steve Witkoff, a longtime friend and real estate investor, to facilitate key aspects of his foreign policy, including high-profile ceasefire talks in Gaza and

RIA Novosti said a jet allegedly linked to Donald Trump's U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, landed in Moscow on Tuesday.

The aircraft, which is owned by a key Donald Trump ally, landed in Moscow amid speculation in Russia that the new administration could be seeking a US-led deal to end the war in Ukraine

Before Trump returned to the White House, Witkoff was his political adviser, fundraiser and golfing buddy. In testimony at Trump’s 2023 New York civil fraud trial, Witkoff said the pair’s friendship began in 1986 when he bought Trump a sandwich at a deli after Trump forgot his wallet.