Donald Trump's special envoy for peace has sparked concern after he gushed over Vladimir Putin during a trip to Moscow.
According to Huff Post, Steve Witkoff headed to the Kremlin this week for talks on ending the Ukraine war.
He went with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, amid heightened efforts to conclude the conflict – but began his crucial diplomatic visit by sucking up to the Russian autocrat.
As per readout shared on the Kremlin website, Putin welcomed the delegation by acknowledging the situation they have to sort out is a "difficult one."
He then began flattering the US team, saying, "And here, of course, the quality of mediation and trust in those who are engaged in it are very important. I'd like to tell you that we find it comfortable to work with you, and, of course, we have a very high level of trust during this work."
Witkoff replied, "So, first of all, President Putin, thank you so much for having us. We were sitting outside just now, me, Jared and Kirill, and then Yury joined us, and we were all talking about when we retire, we'll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all."
Special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and adviser Yuri Ushakov are two senior figures very close to Putin.
Apparently the US delegation discussed "substantive plans for next steps" with Putin on Saturday, according to the White House, though the details remain unclear.
Hours before the Americans arrived in the city, Russia had struck Kyiv’s two main airports in an attack that Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, described as the Kremlin’s reaction to “preparations for the possibility of the US side using an aircraft to travel to Ukraine.”
Putin assured the Americans that Russia would not target the Ukrainian capital for three days.
Air raid sirens still blasted in Kyiv on Saturday, however, and Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks in other areas of the country had killed seven people. Another three were wounded in a strike on Zaporizhzhia on Saturday night.
A Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Belgorod region killed one person and injured another, according to local authorities.
