Putin to change military fatigues for suit and tie to meet Steve Witkoff in Moscow

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, has arrived in Moscow to discuss not only the conflict in Ukraine but also broader US-Russia relations, Yuri Ushakov, Russian presidential aide for foreign policy said, TASS reports.

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Московский_Кремль,_вид_с_Дома_на_набережной.jpg by Semyon Borisov

moscow kremlin, view from the Building on the Embankment

"Everyone understands that Witkoff came not just to discuss the situation in Ukraine but also the US-Russia relations and their future development, including the economic aspect," Kremlin Representative Yuri Ushakov said. 

Earlier, a Gulfstream G650 business jet departed from Qatar toward Russia. At 11:50 AM, Witkoff's plane was flying over the Pskov region, and at 12:30 PM, it landed at Vnukovo International Airport.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that if Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Witkoff personally, the Kremlin will provide an update.

"Putin will meet with Trump's envoy Witkoff this evening, following his talks with [Belarusian President] Lukashenko," Kommersant special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov said.

Details

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American billionaire real estate investor, lawyer, and diplomat who serves as the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. He is the founder and chairman of the Witkoff Group. He began his career as a real estate attorney, before transitioning to property investment and development. His notable acquisitions include the Daily News Building, the Woolworth Building, 33 Maiden Lane, and the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan. Witkoff has extensive business ties in the Middle East. During the first presidency of Donald Trump in 2020, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were created to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In November 2024, then President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would appoint Witkoff to be the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East; before even taking office, Witkoff played a key role in negotiating a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas in January 2025.