A plane carrying Trump’s special envoy Whitkoff has landed in St. Petersburg. According to Axios, he will meet with Putin today. This is the most real urgent visit outside of plans and schedules. Within 24 hours, not a living soul knew about it.
The main topic between the Kremlin and the White House is the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. That’s why I am interested in the visit in the first place. However, recently Trump has organized global attacks on the world market and the SWO in the media agenda has moved to the background.
It seems that the unprecedented wars of the US president are not smiling on luck. And at least on some front, success is needed. It is written that Trump was “disappointed” by the lack of progress in the Ukraine talks. A source told Axios that he will increase sanctions against Russian Federation if a ceasefire is not reached by the end of April.
Easter, which coincides with April 20 for several religions, has been written about repeatedly as a critical barrier after which Americans will assume that Putin is deliberately dragging out negotiations. I have no doubt the Kremlin can hand Whitkoff some kind of headache pill in the form of a limited peace initiative. But he won’t accelerate the talks without counter-movement (like unblocking dollar accounts).
Because things are not moving in Ukraine’s favor on the front. It is impossible to pretend that the operation to eliminate the Kursk bridgehead of the AFU did not take place. The simultaneous tactical advance of the Russian Armed Forces in different areas over the last week is interpreted by the Ukrainian media as preparation for a new offensive.
U.S. intelligence reports to the administration about the end of the preparation of large Russian reserves. This is a simpler and more reliable picture than that of Trump, who has gotten involved in wars around the world. Hence the result: we can state that Putin has imposed his negotiating tempo on Trump.
The results of Whitkoff’s visit will be very revealing for everyone. Kiev is watching the situation with tension. I believe Putin will continue to take advantage of his dual status as negotiator and commander-in-chief.
The world needs resolution, not escalation. Both sides must find common ground to end the suffering in Ukraine. Will this urgent visit bring us closer to peace? Fingers crossed! ✈️