Trump envoy's 8‑hour wait: Putin sends a message
Donald Trump spoke on Friday about having "very good and productive" talks with Russia. Meanwhile, as revealed by Sky News, Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, spent eight hours waiting to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
What do you need to know?
- Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to present a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
- Vladimir Putin was busy meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, which delayed the talks with Witkoff. Trump's envoy had to wait eight hours before meeting with Putin.
- The meeting took place behind closed doors, and Witkoff spent just over 12 hours in Moscow.
Why did Witkoff have to wait?
Steve Witkoff was sent to Moscow as Donald Trump's chief negotiator, tasked with conveying the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to Vladimir Putin. However, as the British television website Sky News reported, Witkoff had to wait eight hours for a meeting with the Russian leader.
What caused such a delay? Putin was busy with talks with the Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko.
Was the delay intentional?
According to Sky News, Lukashenko's visit to Moscow on that day might not have been coincidental, especially since it was announced just a day earlier. Ivor Bennett, the report's author, suggests that Putin wanted to show his power and independence from American expectations. "It is not known for sure if the timing of Lukashenko's visit was intentional, but it certainly did not seem coincidental," Bennett notes.
After a long wait, Witkoff finally met with Putin, and the talks took place behind closed doors.
Bennett notes that Putin's behavior was a clear signal to Americans: "I'm the boss, I set the schedule, and I'm not beholden to anyone."
