The Kremlin envoy was satisfiedThe US and Russia will hold secret talks about Ukraine
According to a report, Kremlin envoy Dmitriev and US special envoy Witkoff met in late October. Dmitriev said he felt “Russia’s position was really heard.” Moscow’s influence is increasing.
The United States and Russia are reportedly secretly making plans to end the war in Ukraine. This was reported by the Axios news portal, citing US and Russian officials. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev as well as US special envoy Steve Witkoff and top Trump administration officials are said to have met in Miami from October 24 to 26 and discussed a 28-point peace plan in detail.
Dmitriev is therefore optimistic. Unlike before, there is now a feeling that “Russia’s position is really being heard.” And further: “This is actually a broader framework that basically says: How can we finally achieve lasting security in Europe, not just in Ukraine?” So far, Russia has always emphasized maximum demands in peace negotiations: Ukraine must abandon its NATO aspirations, demilitarize and hand over territory controlled by Kiev.
As Axios wrote further, the plan is said to be inspired by US President Donald Trump’s Gaza deal and addresses four issues: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and the US’ future relations with Russia and Ukraine. However, it remains unclear how Ukraine and its supporters in Europe feel about this.
The Russian envoy said the US side was currently in the process of explaining to Ukraine and Europe the “benefits” of their current approach. “This is happening as Russia is clearly achieving further successes on the battlefield,” he added, noting that Moscow’s influence is growing. The US official confirmed that the White House had begun informing Ukrainian as well as European officials about the new plans. The Ukrainian side also said that Witkoff had discussed the plan with Ukrainian security adviser Rustem Umjerov.
According to Dmitriev, both sides hope to submit a written document before the next meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, a summit in Budapest is still out of the question. The planned meeting was canceled by Trump on October 25.
As Axios further reported, citing Ukrainian and American officials, a meeting between Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj planned for this Wednesday in Türkiye has reportedly been postponed. During his visit to Ankara, Zelensky wanted to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
