As former U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff visits St. Petersburg, the Kremlin has sought to downplay expectations, stating that no major diplomatic breakthroughs are anticipated from the meeting.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Witkoff’s visit is part of an ongoing diplomatic process between Washington and Moscow but should not be seen as a turning point in U.S.–Russia relations. “We do not expect any breakthroughs from this visit,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin representative explained that the meeting would serve primarily as a platform for conveying Russia’s current positions on key issues, which will later be communicated to President Trump. The dialogue is expected to touch on a broad range of topics, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and concerns about NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe.
This marks the third time in two months that Witkoff has traveled to Russia on behalf of Trump, signaling a growing effort by the former president to maintain informal communication channels with the Kremlin ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
The meeting in St. Petersburg comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and follows a recent exchange of public statements between Moscow and Washington, including warnings from Trump regarding the consequences of Russia’s nuclear posture.
While no official agenda for the meeting has been released, analysts expect it to focus on restoring dialogue and reducing strategic risks between the two powers.
