Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, announced on Feb. 15 that he will be traveling to the Middle East, together with National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, to hold discussions with a Russian delegation regarding the beginning of peace negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also be in Saudi Arabia for these talks. Witkoff, a close friend and confidant of Trump, and also Waltz and Rubio have been appointed as the group responsible for negotiations with the Russians. The Russians have not formally announced the members of their delegation. It is reported, however, that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia. On Telegram channels it is reported that Russian Presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov, a former ambassador to the U.S., and Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergei Naryshkin will also participate. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is presently in Saudi Arabia, and may also be a part of the negotiations.
