Germany has pledged new deliveries of weapons systems at a meeting of defense ministers at NATO headquarters. And US special envoy Steve Witkoff was in Russia for talks with Russian officials.
Acting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius led the ‘Ukraine Contact Group’ meeting in BrusselsImage: Anna Ross/dpa/picture allianceUS special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday to discuss ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The meeting lasted more than four and a half hours, the Kremlin said. No details of their discussion have been released.
According to Russian media outlet Interfax, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not rule
out the possibility of another phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump following the discussions.
After Witkoff landed in Russia, Trump ramped up the pressure on Moscow, posting on his Truth Social platform that “Russia has to get moving” and end the war in Ukraine.
“Too many people [sic] ere DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!,” Trump said.
The US president has been pushing for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire deal since returning to the White House in January.
While Ukraine has agreed to a US truce proposal, Russia has yet to make any concessions despite repeated talks between Russian and US officials.
Ukraine and several of its Western allies suspect Russia of stalling the talks on purpose.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last week that the Trump administration would not tolerate “endless negotiations” with Russia over the conflict.
Witkoff has held two previous meetings with Putin in Russia since Trump was inaugurated for his second term this year.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-announces-fresh-military-aid-to-ukraine/live-72212628
