Moscow: The Kremlin on Monday announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting during a press briefing, stating that the talks would occur in the afternoon.
According to Anadolu Agency, Peskov mentioned that footage of the meeting in the Russian capital would be published, though he did not confirm whether a statement would be released following the discussions. He also noted that Putin is scheduled to hold several non-public meetings on Monday to prepare for the Tuesday meeting, but did not provide additional details.
Fox News reported on Sunday, citing a US official, that Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Monday to discuss a peace proposal aimed at ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war with Putin. Witkoff participated in a meeting in Florida with US and Ukrainian delegations on the same day, where discussions focused on establishing a potential peace agreement regarding the de facto border with Russia, as reported by two Ukrainian officials to Axios.
During the briefing, Peskov declined to comment on whether the peace plan proposal included a clause on Ukraine's non-accession to NATO. He also mentioned that Putin's schedule is currently packed, and a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is set to visit Russia for two days starting Monday, is not yet scheduled.
Peskov further stated that the Kremlin cannot disclose any information regarding the stay of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Russia.
Peskov also addressed an attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) infrastructure in Novorossiysk over the weekend, labeling the strike as "outrageous." He emphasized the international significance of the object involved and reaffirmed Russia's accusations against Ukraine for the assault, although he noted that there was no information on whether an investigation is underway.
The CPC reported on Saturday that unmanned boats damaged one of the single-point moorings at the terminal in Novorossiysk, prompting a halt in loading and other operations as per local Russian authorities' orders. Russia accused Ukraine of the attack on the Black Sea port the following day, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seeking international condemnation, arguing it threatened 'freedom of navigation in this waterway."
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry also issued a protest over what it described as 'another deliberate attack' on the CPC terminal, expecting Ukraine to take 'effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi responded to Kazakhstan's concerns, emphasizing that Ukraine's actions focus solely on repelling Russian aggression under Article 51 of the UN Charter, without targeting Kazakhstan or other third parties.