US Treasury sanctions official joined Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow for Kremlin talks

The covert negotiations of the American delegation in Moscow are proving far more complex and broad-ranging than initially presented.
According to an investigative report by the American news website Axios, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner did not travel alone to the Russian capital, as the American delegation also included senior US Department of the Treasury official Jean Lang, who oversees sanctions policy.

Presence of Treasury sanctions chief and contacts with Kirill Dmitriev

As Axios reports, citing knowledgeable sources, Jean Lang took part in the pivotal discussions the Americans held with the special representative of the Russian President, Kirill Dmitriev, though she did not directly join the three-hour session with Vladimir Putin.
The involvement of the senior American Treasury executive confirms that the thorny issue of American sanctions against Russia was placed squarely on the backchannel negotiating table. A White House spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that officials from the National Security Council, the State Department, and the US Department of the Treasury participated in the Moscow contacts.

«Substantive talks» with zero signs of diplomatic rupture ahead of Kyiv trip

Concurrently, the Reuters news agency cited an American presidential spokesperson who characterized the discussions between Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Vladimir Putin as «highly comprehensive and substantive».
The same official stressed that the parties discussed concrete plans for subsequent steps to be announced in the coming weeks, while Reuters pointedly notes that for now «there are no signs of a diplomatic rupture».
For its part, the Kremlin confirmed that Vladimir Putin engaged in more than three hours of «exceptionally useful negotiations» regarding the termination of the war.

Donald Trump presses diplomatic track as US mission departs for Ukraine

In his initial remarks at the opening of the meeting, Vladimir Putin underlined that US President Donald Trump «does not cease efforts to contribute to the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict», adding that contacts of this nature are «always beneficial».
Following the conclusion of talks in Moscow, the special envoys departed for Kyiv via Europe, where they are scheduled to continue the cycle of backchannel consultations with Ukrainian leadership.

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