U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism following “productive and constructive meetings” with Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev. These discussions are part of the Trump administration’s continuous efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Witkoff shared his positive outlook on X, stating, “We are encouraged by this meeting and Russia’s apparent commitment to achieving peace in Ukraine. We appreciate the president’s vital leadership in pursuing a durable and lasting peace.”

During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Witkoff reported significant progress, noting, “There are many promising developments in the discussions concerning the land agreement.”

He further expressed optimism, saying, “The people of Ukraine now have hope and anticipate a peace agreement in the near future.”

The meetings, held on Saturday in Florida, were attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House Senior Advisor Josh Gruenbaum. Witkoff and Kushner have played pivotal roles from the Trump administration in negotiating the Russia-Ukraine deal, as well as other initiatives, such as the Israel-Gaza peace plan.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive” meetings with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida. (Getty Images)

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum also met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive despite obstacles to peace remaining.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

The U.S., Ukraine and Russia held a meeting hosted by the United Arab Emirates. ( Reuters)

Nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians are facing a brutal winter, and Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy resources have made conditions worse. However, President Donald Trump said Thursday at his Cabinet meeting that Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places in the region experiencing the frigid weather.

“And because of the cold, extreme cold — they have the same that we do — I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said, adding that Putin had “agreed to do that.” The president classified the weather in the region as being “record-setting cold.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that Trump had made the request for Putin to stop targeting Kyiv until Feb. 1 “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” The Associated Press reported. The outlet noted it was odd that the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned Feb. 1, as it would mean it was only a two-day pause. Additionally, the AP reported that the cold weather forecast is expected to get worse after Sunday.

The White House announced Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Reuters)

Russia and Ukraine will hold another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi Sunday, according to The Kyiv Independent. However, it is unclear whether the U.S. will participate in the talks.