Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, has departed for Russia for a high-level meeting with President Vladimir Putin, according to Axios, citing close sources and flight tracking data from Flightradar24.
This marks the third meeting between Witkoff and Putin, with key discussions expected to focus on U.S.-Russia relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to raise global concerns.
Witkoff’s trip follows a breakthrough prisoner swap deal between the two countries. Russia released dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, while the U.S. freed Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian national arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the U.S. Justice Department.
The visit also comes as President Trump and other senior officials express growing frustration with Russia’s refusal to accept ceasefire conditions in Ukraine, underlining the deepening rift between Washington and Moscow.
