Steve Witkoff is reportedly planning to meet President Vladimir Putin while US representatives hold peace negotiations with Kiev in Saudi Arabia

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to Moscow this week for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, multiple media outlets including Reuters and Bloomberg have reported.

Neither US nor Russian officials have publicly confirmed the trip so far.

The scheduled visit is reportedly part of the White House's ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict. Witkoff previously met Putin in Moscow in February. The meeting facilitated a prisoner exchange, leading to the release of US citizen Marc Fogel from a Russian prison in exchange for Russian national Aleksandr Vinnik. Witkoff described his previous three-and-a-half-hour discussion with Putin as a "trust-building" exercise.

According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, Witkoff is expected to arrive in Moscow on March 13. His tentative itinerary includes meetings in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Mohammed Bin Zayed on Tuesday, followed by Gaza-related talks in Doha with Qatari officials on Wednesday. A potential meeting with Putin in Moscow is scheduled for Thursday, Ravid wrote on X on Tuesday, adding that plans remain subject to change.

The envoy has been actively engaged in efforts to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Last month, he participated in US-Russia negotiations held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. The discussions, which were the first high-level bilateral meetings since former President Joe Biden's administration froze relations with Moscow in 2022 as part of its campaign of diplomatic isolation, aimed to develop a framework for future peace negotiations concerning the Ukraine conflict.

The visit would coincide with US Senators Rubio and Waltz meeting Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Talks will assess Ukraine's willingness to make "material concessions" to Russia for a ceasefire, Reuters reports, citing US officials. It comes as Trump has increased pressure on Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky to negotiate peace with Moscow.

Kiev plans to propose an air and naval truce on Tuesday, a Ukrainian official told AFP. Russia has dismissed temporary ceasefires as a tactic to delay Ukraine's defeat.

Zelensky is not scheduled to participate directly in the upcoming talks between US and Ukrainian officials and is expected to meet separately with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump, who has pushed to improve relations with Moscow since taking office in January, signaled on Sunday that "big meetings" were planned involving both Russia and Ukraine. Trump's approach marks a shift from the former President Joe Biden administration's policies, which maintained a more confrontational stance toward the Kremlin.

(RT.com)