Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, is scheduled to visit Moscow, Russia, to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg News reported on the 10th, citing sources. Bloomberg cited multiple sources stating that "the special envoy's visit to Russia is expected to take place this week."
A high-level meeting between the U.S. and Ukraine is set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the 11th, so the special envoy's visit to Russia is expected to occur after that meeting. U.S. representatives, including Special Envoy Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, will hold high-level talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on the 11th.
In this context, Minister Rubio told reporters on his way to Saudi Arabia that "both sides need to agree that there is no military solution to this situation," suggesting that Ukraine might be forced to cede territory to Moscow as part of an agreement to end the war. Additionally, Minister Rubio mentioned that if the meeting in Saudi Arabia goes smoothly, the U.S. could lift the restrictions on weapons and information sharing imposed on Ukraine on the 12th.
If the meeting between Putin and Witkoff takes place, it will mark the first time since his meeting with former President Joe Biden in Switzerland in 2021 that a senior U.S. official will meet face-to-face with Putin. Special Envoy Witkoff has a role related to the cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. In February, Witkoff visited Russia and brought back Mark Fogel, an American who had been detained there.
Meanwhile, Trump held a phone call with Putin on the 12th of last month to discuss matters related to the cessation of hostilities. Additionally, high-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia held negotiations related to the cessation of hostilities in Saudi Arabia on the 18th of last month.