America's sensitivity to Moscow spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin personally about the ceasefire of the Ukrainian War. The next step is a direct call between President Donald Trump and Putin, the Kremlin said.
A delegation of American negotiators arrived in Moscow, Russia, for consultations on the Ukrainian War on Thursday. The exact itinerary for the visit was clearly unclear, and it was not certain how far the delegation would appear, but according to a spokesman on Friday morning, they actually spoke directly with Russian President Putin.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian Press on Friday that US Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov: “Putin has given President Trump information and additional signals through Witkov.”
The principle of a ceasefire has been agreed between the US and Ukraine, but getting Ukraine to agree is the next step in President Trump's “road to peace.” Putin himself made a wide and positive noise about the process on Thursday evening in response to a visit from the US delegation, but he commented that despite this, there is an underline that in fact the Russian position remains unchanged even before consultation: “Peace” is possible as long as it is a Moscow condition.
President Trump expressed his desire to speak to Putin personally on Thursday, with Russia reciprocating and saying that the direct conversation between the two leads (probably by phone at this stage) was the next logical step. Trump and Putin are known to last spoke in early February, but the dates on which this next call could be made have not been resolved.
A Putin spokesman said: “The exact time for the conversation between the two presidents has not yet been agreed. However, after Mr Witkov has delivered all the details he received in Moscow to his provincial chief, we will decide the timing of the conversation… The parties recognize that this dialogue is necessary.”
