The key facts
- Peskov confirmed that Witkoff's visits are shuttle diplomacy
- Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Putin after Oslo
- New contacts between Moscow and the American envoy have not yet been agreed
Kremlin confirms shuttle diplomacy format
Press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, in a conversation with journalist of the Information Agency 'Vesti' Pavel Zarubin, confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is using a shuttle diplomacy format for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. When asked whether such trips can be considered shuttle diplomacy, Peskov replied: 'Of course, this implies shuttle diplomacy.'
Witkoff's route: Oslo — St. Petersburg
According to Life.ru, the American representative travels between participants in the negotiation process, conveying proposals and discussing them with various parties. After consultations in Oslo, he arrived in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, after which he is expected to return to the Norwegian capital.
Further contacts not agreed
Peskov said that new contacts between Moscow and the American mediator have not yet been agreed: 'I don't know yet [whether there will be new contacts]. Let's wait for the results of the contacts here.'
The essence of the format and Moscow's expectations
Shuttle diplomacy is a negotiation format in which a mediator alternately meets with representatives of the conflicting parties, conveys their proposals and responses, trying to find a compromise. This approach is used when direct dialogue between participants is difficult or impossible. Earlier, Peskov also said that Moscow expects to receive information from American negotiators about their meetings with Kyiv and European representatives: according to him, such consultations make it possible to exchange signals on important issues even in the absence of direct dialogue between all participants in the process.
