US Envoy Witkoff leaves Moscow without cease-fire agreement after Putin rejects Trump’s terms: ‘A lot still needs to be done’
By Caitlin Doornbos
Published March 14, 2025, 9:34 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff left Moscow on Friday without a cease-fire deal in hand after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected President Trump’s terms to begin winding down the war with Ukraine.
Putin met with Witkoff late Thursday night after having kept Witkoff waiting since roughly 12:30 p.m., according to flight tracking data and Russian reports, but ultimately sent him home with “signals” for Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters.
“A lot still needs to be done,” Peskov said of the cease-fire agreement, noting that Witkoff “presented additional information to the Russian side.”
Trump’s proposal was straightforward: Russia and Ukraine would halt all conflict for 30 days and conduct a prisoner exchange as signs of both parties’ commitments to finding a peaceful resolution. The US would also restart sharing intelligence with and delivering aid to Kyiv.
But on Thursday, Putin demanded additional measures — a halt to the aid and intelligence-sharing, as well as forcing Ukraine not to train, reinforce or resupply its forces during the cease-fire — during remarks to the press on Thursday.
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https://nypost.com/2025/03/14/us-news/us-envoy-witkoff-leaves-moscow-without-cease-fire-agreement-after-putin-rejects-trumps-terms/
