Kremlin spokesperson rules out US envoy visit this week

Moscow does not expect the arrival of the US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff this week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

During a briefing, he stressed that the US side is expected to inform Russia of the results of its work with Ukrainian and European officials once ready, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Peskov added that no assessments regarding a potential visit have been made.

He emphasised that it will only become clear whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy genuinely seeks peace after Moscow reviews the peace plan being discussed in Berlin.

The spokesperson also commented on reports suggesting that new sanctions might be imposed on Russia if it refuses a peace agreement, which could impact Russia’s shadow fleet, stating that such reports have not been observed.

“Any sanctions harm the process of building relations, that is obvious,” he replied to journalists’ questions.

According to Bloomberg sources, the United States is preparing new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector. They could be imposed if Moscow rejects a new peace agreement with Ukraine. The restrictions may specifically affect vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

On December 14-15, US and Ukrainian delegations held extended discussions in Berlin, focused on a US-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, with talks led by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that lasted over five hours and continued the next day.

Talks aimed at narrowing differences on security guarantees, economic reconstruction, and territorial questions.

American officials described the negotiations as making “real progress,” especially on security guarantees, with Washington signalling readiness to pursue legally binding protections for Ukraine and working closely with European partners on common proposals following the December talks.

Media reports indicate US negotiators pressed Kyiv on controversial issues such as ceding Donbas territory, a point that Kyiv strongly resisted, highlighting ongoing core disputes even as discussions continued.

By Jeyhun Aghazada