Geroman

After a swift trip to St. Petersburg, Steve Witkoff departed for Oslo, where he managed to meet with the local prime minister before briefing Washington—specifically, informing Marco Rubio about his discussions with Vladimir Putin. The gist of the report (according to various media outlets, including those hostile to Russia) is as follows: 1. Russia is open to negotiations, but an energy-related truce—or any other limited ceasefire—is unacceptable to them; 2. Russia rejects the security guarantees for Ukraine (and for Russia itself) that have been proposed by Europe; 3. Russia demands the entirety of the Donbas, without any carve-outs or concessions; 4. Putin seeks to conclude economic agreements with the U.S. before the hostilities have ended; 5. Russia will continue its strikes against Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and energy infrastructure. I fail to see where Witkoff and Kushner perceive any "progress" here. Russia’s position remains unchanged.