US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiating a “permanent peace” deal with Ukraine. The announcement follows a series of talks aimed at ending the more than three-year-long conflict. Despite repeated efforts, the Trump administration has yet to secure significant concessions from the Kremlin.
On April 11, Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg, marking their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January. During a televised Fox News interview on April 14, Witkoff expressed optimism, stating that he sees a peace deal “emerging.” He highlighted the involvement of two key Putin advisers, Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, in what he described as a “compelling meeting.”
“Putin’s request is to get to have a permanent peace here. So beyond the ceasefire, we got an answer to that,” Witkoff said, acknowledging the challenges in reaching this point. “I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large.”
Witkoff also noted that business deals between Russia and the US were part of the discussions, suggesting that economic collaboration could play a role in stabilizing the region. “I believe there’s a possibility to reshape the Russian-US relationship through some very compelling commercial opportunities, that I think give real stability to the region too,” he added.
However, progress on achieving a ceasefire remains limited. In March, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for a full and unconditional pause in the conflict. The Kremlin has also made a truce in the Black Sea contingent on the lifting of certain Western sanctions.
As diplomatic efforts continue, the prospect of a permanent peace deal remains uncertain, with both sides navigating complex political and strategic challenges.
