Witkoff is actually the USA President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, but has been given an important role also in the Ukraine talks. He has this week discussed the Gaza war in Qatar, but on Thursday morning, Russian media report that his plane has left the capital Doha for a journey north towards Moscow.
Regarding the reported list of demands from Russia's President Vladimir Putin, no details emerge. But according to Reuters sources, the list is not entirely new – the points are said to have been discussed between representatives for Russia and the USA during the last three weeks. The information also suggests that the demands resemble those that the Kremlin has presented on other occasions.
Yes on Tuesday
Among these is a promise that Ukraine will not be allowed to join Nato, that no foreign troops will be stationed in Ukraine, and that parts of the Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine will be recognized as Russian.
Ukrainian representatives approved the USA's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire on Tuesday, and the ball is now said to be in Russia's court. That is the answer Witkoff is expected to seek in Moscow. Previously, it was said that he would go there "this week".
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said on Wednesday that he sees the ceasefire proposal as an opportunity to bring forward a permanent peace plan – but drew a clear line:
We will not give up territories occupied by Russia. That is the most important red line.
Think Tank: Delay
Putin has not yet commented on the proposal, but international media express hope that a reaction will come today.
The Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukasjenko is visiting Moscow, and a joint press conference is scheduled for the day, reports the regime-friendly news agency Tass.
On the question of whether Putin might talk about something other than bilateral relations – understood as: Ukraine – his spokesman Dmitrij Peskov responds:
Everything depends on what the reporters ask.
In a document from a Russian think tank, which according to The Washington Post was drawn up for the regime in February, the plans for a quickly achieved ceasefire are dismissed. Instead, Russia should try to weaken the USA's negotiating position by increasing tensions between the USA and its allies, the analysis says.
"A peaceful solution to the Ukraine war cannot occur before 2026", it says.
According to the document, Moscow should delay the process with tough demands.
