Shortly before the third anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine, US President Donald Trump sends high-ranking members of his government to Russia and Ukraine. The US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has obtained the release of a US citizen in Russia in Russia. Witkoff left the Russian airspace together to me Marc Fogel, the White House announced. Fogel was arrested at a Moscow airport in 2021 and was later sentenced to a prison for drug smuggling.
The US President, Witkoff and other advisors had negotiated an “exchange” with Moscow, which was a “sign of good will” on the part of the Russians, according to the White House.
Release as a sign of progress in negotiations
This is considered “a sign that we move in the right direction to end brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” it said. Washington gave no further details. It was unclear what the agreement looked like and spoke to whom Witkoff in Russia.
The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitri Peskow, had denied Witkoff’s visit to the Kremlin in the hours earlier. There is no information about the arrival of the US diplomat. “No contacts are planned,” said Peskow.
According to the “New York Times”, Witkoff had traveled to Moscow with a private jet. Accordingly, it is the first known journey of a high -ranking US official to Moscow since November 2021 – a few months before Russian troops invaded the neighboring country. The then CIA director Bill Burns was at the time for discussions in Russia.
US finance minister is traveling to Kyiv
In addition, Trump is now sending his finance minister Scott Bessent for talks about an end to the Russian war of aggression to Ukraine. Besser will talk to the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, Trump wrote on his online language tube Truth Social. The war had to end and this would happen soon. Trump continued too much death and destruction. “When America is strong, peace is in the world,” added the Republican in capital letters.
Trump did not call a precise time for Bessen’s trip. Most recently, the US President had been particularly at rare minerals in Ukraine and had linked US aid for the country attacked by Russia. Selenskyj had made it clear that he wanted to show himself recognizable for western help with rare earths and other mineral resources. Ukraine has defended itself against the Russian invasion with western support for almost three years.
On Friday, Trump had a meeting with Selenskyj in Washington this week and emphasized that he does not want to travel to Ukraine himself.
Trump’s Minister of Defense is expected to go to Ukraine conference
US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, is said to represent Washington at a meeting of the Ukraine partners in Brussels on Wednesday, where there is advising on the further support of the country attacked by Russia. In the afternoon (2:30 p.m.), Defense Minister in the NATO headquarters come together in the format of the so-called Ukraine contact group to coordinate arms aids.
For media reports, according to which the Ukraine negotiator, Keith Kellogg used by Trump, will continue to travel to Ukraine next week on Thursday. The representatives of the Trump government are expected before the Munich Security Conference in Ukraine. US Vice President JD Vance is to come to Munich to the security conference that ended on Friday and on Sunday.
Selenskyj is strong for the expansion of atomic energy
Negotiations with the United States were only a border issue in Selenskyj’s evening video message. Kyiv was prepared for the talks, said the Ukrainian head of state. Against the background of the constant Russian attacks on the energy supply of Ukraine, the main topic of his message was the announcement to expand nuclear power.
“Ukraine will be able to build two reactor blocks on the Chmelnyzkyj nuclear power plant, and that is more than two gigawatts of electricity for Ukraine,” said Selenskyj. Previously, the parliament in Kiev had launched the purchase of two nuclear reactors of Soviet design of Bulgaria.
The expansion of the Chmelnyzkyj nuclear power plant will allow Ukraine to get by without electricity imports in winter, Selenskyj assured. Of course there are also hostility to the project. “But these are the voices for which cheap energy in Ukraine is simply disadvantageous – they fill their pockets or those they depend on, with more expensive energy as atomic energy,” Selenskyj rejected the criticism.
Ukraine has now lost a good half of its capacities due to the systematic Russian shelling of energy systems. Shortly after the beginning of the war, the powerful nuclear power plant in Europe, the Saporischschja nuclear power plant, was occupied by Russian troops.
