Kremlin declines comment on Witkoff’s optimism on Ukraine deal ahead of meeting with Putin

MOSCOW, Jan 22 (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Thursday that it appreciated U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but declined to comment on Witkoff’s stated optimism that a deal was close.

Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on Ukraine later on Thursday. The Kremlin said it would give a briefing afterwards.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two U.S. representatives would arrive in Moscow some time after 1600-1700 GMT and meet Putin.

“Discussion will continue on the Ukrainian settlement issue and other related topics,” Peskov told reporters.

Witkoff said earlier that much progress had been made and that negotiations were now down to one final issue.

Asked if the Kremlin shared this optimism, Peskov said: “We would not like to comment on the current stage of the negotiations, especially in the lead-up to Witkoff’s arrival in Moscow and his meeting with Putin.”

He added: “It’s clear that the Russian president highly values ​​the peacemaking efforts of President Trump personally and his team, including Special Envoy Witkoff… We welcome these efforts and their effectiveness.”

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Felix LightEditing by Andrew Osborn)