Russian President Vladimir Putin greets his special envoy for investments, Kirill Dmitriev, in the presence of American President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 11, 2025. VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV / AP
American attempts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine have followed one another with little distinction, and so far have failed to end the war, despite concessions made to Moscow. On the evening of Wednesday, November 19, Ukraine announced it had received a new negotiation offer from Washington, a proposal crafted – without Kyiv's involvement – by envoys representing Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The initiative, revealed the previous night by the Axios website, was reportedly prepared by US President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, during a visit by the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund to the United States in October. Witkoff even suggested that Dmitriev was likely behind the leak, in a message posted Wednesday on X, in response to the first reports about the 28-point plan. The tweet was quickly deleted.
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