Russia's state media reports that Putin met with Witkoff late on Thursday evening and that Putin then gave the American envoy information and "signals" intended for USA's President Donald Trump.
From the Kremlin's side, a "cautious optimism" is expressed regarding continued talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to talk about such a thing, albeit with major reservations. He also expressed a clear desire to speak with Donald Trump personally.
Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Thursday and left the Russian capital early on Friday, according to a report from the state-controlled news agency Tass.
Behind the scenes
It had previously been speculated that the American, a businessman who has long had a close relationship with President Donald Trump, would meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, but it was long unclear whether it would happen.
On Thursday, Putin appeared before a gathered press corps together with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukasjenko, who is also visiting Moscow. It was then that the Russian president said he was open to a "peaceful solution" to the large-scale invasion war in Ukraine that he started in February 2022, but only if "the underlying fundamental problems" are resolved.
The meeting with Witkoff did not take place in public, no pictures of them together have emerged, and the meeting was not announced until Witkoff had departed.
The prince on the phone
On Thursday, Putin also spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman, according to reports from AFP, among others.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian president expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabia's mediation efforts. The oil-rich kingdom has hosted several meetings over the past few weeks, where both Ukraine and Russia have met with American representatives.
Saudi Arabia, unlike many other countries, has maintained its contacts with Russia during the war in Ukraine, not least through the oil cartel Opec. Russia's overheated war economy is largely kept going with the help of oil exports, where China is now buying almost half.
