Steve Witkoff has highlighted the “great friendship” between the US and Russian presidents
Relations between the US and Russia could improve, Steve Witkoff, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, has suggested, citing what he described as a “great friendship” between the two nations’ leaders in the past that could continue.
While on the campaign trail and after his victory in the November 5 election, Trump repeatedly vowed to put a swift end to the Ukraine conflict and also expressed a willingness to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Trump has also claimed that he “always had a good relationship” with the Russian head of state.
Speaking to the media outlet NewsNation on Wednesday, Witkoff said, “I think [Presidents Trump and Putin] had a great friendship, and I think now it’s going to continue, and it’s a really good thing for the world.”
Commenting on the release of US national Marc Fogel from a Russian prison on Tuesday, Witkoff, who serves as US special envoy to the Middle East, noted that the “Russians were very, very helpful in that effort and very accommodating.”
Trump, too, confirmed that “we were treated very nicely by Russia,” expressing hope that “that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and millions of people can stop being killed.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump wrote, “I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.” According to the US president, they talked about the “great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” as well as their shared desire to put an end to the Ukraine conflict.
“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” the US head of state stressed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the conversation, adding that the two presidents agreed that the time had come for Moscow and Washington to work together.
On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that “Trump’s team, despite conflicting statements from both him and his people, has at least signaled interest in resuming the dialogue with Russia that was disrupted by the Democrats.”
The diplomat emphasized that the ball was in Washington’s court and warned against resorting to the “language of ultimatums.”
