Meeting with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff

Photo: kremlin.ru

Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev attended the meeting on the Russian side. 

Attending on behalf of the United States were entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Affinity Partners Jared Kushner and White House Senior Advisor, Commissioner of the US General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service Josh Gruenbaum.

Commentary by Aide to the President Yury Ushakov regarding Vladimir Putin’s meeting with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff

Aide to the President Yury Ushakov: President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum also attended the meeting. The latter is a White House Senior Advisor who specialises in economic matters. This was the first time he joined the US team.

The talks went on for approximately four hours and they were exceptionally in-depth, constructive, and, I should say, constituted an extremely frank and heart-to-heart conversation.

As you know, our counterparts arrived from Davos after taking part in a series of events together with President Donald Trump, including those concerning the Ukraine settlement. These meetings literally lasted until it was time for them to leave for Moscow.

They offered what can be called their first-hand accounts of these events and shared their impressions, as well as their latest thoughts and assessments regarding the meeting between the President of the United States and Zelensky in Davos. Both Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner were present at that meeting. They also offered their perspective on other contacts they had in December and January in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and in several European capitals.

Overall, I can say that the focus of the meeting between the President of Russia and US representatives was to obtain information resulting from the contacts the United States had with the Ukrainians and Europeans in order to define further steps between our two countries.

In fact, an agreement on the next step in this direction has been reached. There was an agreement to hold the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security matters as soon as today, this Friday, January 23, in Abu Dhabi, with Russia, the United States and Ukraine. At the same time, Abu Dhabi will also serve as a venue for a meeting of the heads of a bilateral working group on economic matters. This is a bilateral group formed by Russia and the United States, and their respective heads are Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff.

We have already formed our negotiating team on security matters, and it will be on its way to the Emirates in a matter of hours. The group includes senior officials from the Defence Ministry, led by Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff Admiral Kostyukov.

I will also tell you that the President of Russia has just given our delegation specific instructions taking into consideration all aspects of today’s conversation with the United States.

Importantly, the participants in the conversation between the President of Russia and the Americans reaffirmed the fact that bringing about a lasting settlement would be unlikely without addressing the territorial issue based on the formula as agreed in Anchorage.

Vladimir Putin has emphasised Russia’s sincere commitment to settling the Ukraine crisis by political and diplomatic means. But as long as this is not the case, Russia will persist in its consistent effort to achieve the special military operation’s goals on the battlefield, where Russia’s Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative.

During the meeting in the Kremlin, we also discussed Donald Trump’s idea of a Board of Peace, a host of regional matters and the Greenland issue.

While exchanging views on the Board of Peace, we emphasised our readiness to transfer US$1 billion to its budget from Russia’s assets frozen under the previous US administration. The remaining part of the Russian assets frozen in the US can be used for rebuilding the territories damaged during the hostilities after a peace agreement is signed between Russia and Ukraine. Discussions of this issue will continue in the bilateral economic group.

I would like to point out that the further development of bilateral Russian-US relations was discussed at the conceptual level, considering the huge potential of our countries for cooperation in various spheres. American representatives are already considering certain plans that could be implemented after the settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Returning to today’s meeting of the working group on security, I should note that the Americans have done a great deal to prepare it, and they hope that it will be a success and will open new opportunities for progress on the entire range of issues related to putting an end to the conflict and reaching an agreement on a peaceful settlement.

Overall, as I have said, the meeting that has just ended in the Kremlin was useful in every sense both for us and for the American side.

It was decided at the meeting that the Russian and American sides will maintain close contacts with each other both on Ukraine and on other issues.

This is where I will conclude my report. Thank you and have a good morning.

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