US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia on Wednesday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, a US official said, as Washington denied withdrawing Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States had not taken any steps to restrict Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink.
“We haven’t pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied with, and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions,” Hegseth said when asked about Ukraine’s access to the system.
He added that Washington had issued no new directives regarding the service and wished Ukraine success.
Meanwhile, the US official confirmed that Witkoff would meet Putin, with Jared Kushner participating virtually.
Witkoff traveled to Norway on Tuesday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland. According to the US official, Ukraine presented “new ideas and proposals,” which were discussed in detail.
“There is now strong alignment at the working level among the UK, Ukraine, and Europe on the next steps,” the official said.
The discussions also covered elements of a comprehensive peace framework, including security guarantees, the official added.
