German media: Putin's meeting with US envoy: hard to have diplomatic breakthrough
According to the Russian state news agency, Wittkow met with Putin at the Presidential Library in St. Petersburg for talks that lasted four and a half hours. The Kremlin only stated after the meeting that the talks had indeed taken place, and released a handshake photo of the two on its website, indicating that the meeting "focused on various aspects of solutions to the Ukrainian issue," but provided no further details.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov previously stated that he did not expect any "diplomatic breakthrough" from this meeting. When asked whether they would discuss a meeting between Putin and Trump, he replied, "Possible."
After the last meeting, Wittkow - an ally who has worked with Trump in the real estate industry for many years - described Putin as a "great leader" and "not a bad person."
The high praise given by Wittkow to a president long regarded by Washington as a dictatorial opponent highlights the sharp shift in attitude toward the Kremlin in Washington since Trump's second term.
Despite a series of diplomatic efforts, Trump's goal of a ceasefire has made little substantive progress.
Source: DW, compiled reports from AFP and RIA Novosti
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829217653408841/
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