The USA is "encouraged" that Russia is working towards achieving peace in Ukraine, said Trump's special envoy. According to Putin's representative, economic issues were also discussed at the negotiations in Florida.
American officials held "productive and constructive" negotiations with the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, US Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff announced on Saturday, January 31, as reported by DW. According to him, the meeting took place in Florida as part of US mediation efforts aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
"We are encouraged by this meeting, which shows that Russia is working towards ensuring peace in Ukraine, and we are grateful to President Trump for his important role in seeking a lasting and long-term peace," Whitcoff wrote on social media platform X. He added that the American delegation included, besides himself, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Advisor Josh Grünbaum.
Kirill Dmitriev also stated about the "constructive meeting" with the American delegation. He reported on X that the Saturday negotiations in Florida discussed both the Ukrainian settlement and the topic of economic cooperation between Russia and the USA.
Russia-Ukraine Negotiations in Abu Dhabi
Dmitriev's visit to the USA comes ahead of a new round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for February 1. The USA participated in the previous round, which took place in the UAE capital on January 23-24. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the second round would be bilateral, but Washington may also participate.
Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed on January 30 that US President Donald Trump asked Vladimir Putin to refrain from strikes on Kyiv "to create favorable conditions for negotiations." However, according to Peskov, this was only until February 1, while Trump stated on January 29 that Putin agreed to cease shelling Ukrainian cities for the next seven days.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously suggested that the date and location of the next meeting between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and the USA could change due to rising tensions between the USA and Iran. In an evening address on January 31, Zelensky stated that Ukraine expects specifics from the American side regarding further meetings. "Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats. It is important that there are results and that meetings take place. We are counting on meetings next week, we are preparing for them," said the head of the Ukrainian state.
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