Steve Witkoff is due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Plus, a new book highlights the forgotten builders of the Empire State Building
Steve Witkoff is due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Plus, a new book highlights the forgotten builders of the Empire State Building
Good morning.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said she fears talks between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will pile pressure on Ukraine to make concessions.
Witkoff, the property developer turned envoy recently exposed for coaching Russian officials on how to win Trump’s favour, is arriving in Moscow after leading a US delegation in talks with Ukraine at the weekend.
European leaders have been alarmed by a US plan, heavily tilted in Russia’s favor, which originally included granting Moscow territories in eastern Ukraine it did not yet control, while forcing Kyiv to cap the size of its army and abandon its ambition to join Nato.
What did Kallas say? “I am afraid that all the pressure will be put on the victim,” she said. “In order to have peace, we shouldn’t lose focus that it’s actually Russia who has started this war [and is] targeting civilians”.
What’s happening today? Witkoff is meeting Putin in Moscow. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, continues his diplomatic push to rally support from European allies, visiting Ireland today after France on Monday.
This is a developing story. Follow our live blog here.Trump reportedly gave Maduro ultimatum to relinquish power in Venezuela
Donald Trump reportedly gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power immediately during their recent call – but Venezuela’s authoritarian president declined, demanding a “global amnesty” for himself and allies.
Sources told the Miami Herald that the US president on 21 November sent a “blunt message” to Maduro, who is the focus of a pressure campaign. Trump has ordered a massive naval deployment off Venezuela’s northern coast.
