US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Friday. According to reports from the news agency TASS, Witkoff had a meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, who is the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The meeting took place in a hotel in the historical center of St. Petersburg, according to several Russian media outlets. Witkoff and Dmitriev spoke behind closed doors and left the hotel building shortly after 1 PM Moscow time.
Later, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with the US envoy. The president arrived in St. Petersburg for an official visit on Friday. Putin and Witkoff will discuss the resolution of the Ukraine conflict, Peskov added. The meeting would be a good opportunity to inform the US envoy about the most important elements of the Russian position and the main concerns of Russia, which he would then pass on to US President Donald Trump. The meeting would last as long as Putin wished.
Earlier, Witkoff spoke with Russian President Putin on March 13. The details of the closed-door meeting were not made public.