US envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in a bid to push a peace deal with Ukraine, but experts say Moscow is unlikely to budge from its maximalist demands.
The agreement, revised after receiving Ukrainian input, includes provisions the Kremlin opposes. But more than the proposal itself, Witkoff has become a figure of controversy after Bloomberg published the transcript of a call in which he advised his Russian counterpart on dealing with US President Donald Trump.
The US leader offered his backing for Witkoff after the leak, but at least two prominent Republicans have voiced alarm, with one even calling for Witkoff to be fired.