Trump’s special envoy praises ‘super smart’ Putin ahead of Ukraine ceasefire talks - Trump envoy Steve Witkoff claims questions over whether Ukraine can cede four regions to Russia is ‘elephant in the

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism on Sunday ahead of high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia over the war in Ukraine and said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to end the three-year-old conflict.

The US is still hoping a broad ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine can be reached within weeks, even as Moscow increases strikes on Ukrainian cities and gives off signals that it’s in no hurry to reach a deal.