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Witkoff says talks with Russian envoy were ‘productive and constructive’ amid Trump admin’s peace push

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Witkoff says talks with Russian envoy were ‘productive and constructive’ amid Trump admin’s peace push

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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive meetings” with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

“We are encouraged by this meeting that Russia is working toward securing peace in Ukraine and is grateful for [the president’s] critical leadership in seeking a durable and lasting peace,” Witkoff wrote on X.

During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Witkoff said that progress had been made and that there had been “lots of good things happening between the counterparties discussing the land deal.”

“I think the people of Ukraine are now hopeful and expecting that we’re going to deliver a peace deal sometime soon,” Witkoff added.

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TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO HALT KYIV STRIKES FOR ONE WEEK AMID BRUTAL COLD

The meetings occurred on Saturday in Florida, according to Witkoff, and included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and White House senior advisor Josh Gruenbaum. Witkoff and Kushner have been two of the key players from the Trump administration not only in the Russia-Ukraine deal, but also others, including the Israel-Gaza peace plan.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had “productive and constructive” meetings with the Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida. (Noam Galai/Getty Images; Alexander Kazakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum also met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive, despite the fact that obstacles to peace remained.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

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The U.S., Ukraine and Russia held a trilateral meeting hosted by the United Arab Emirates. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters; Denis Balibouse/Reuters; Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

ZELENSKYY TOUTS ‘CONSTRUCTIVE’ TRILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN THE US, RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IN ABU DHABI

Nearly four years after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Ukrainians are facing a brutal winter and Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy resources have made conditions worse. However, President Donald Trump said on Thursday at his Cabinet meeting that Putin had agreed to a temporary pause in targeting Kyiv and other places in the region experiencing the frigid weather.

“And because of the cold, extreme cold — they have the same that we do — I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said, adding that Putin had “agreed to do that.” The president classified the weather in the region as being “record-setting cold.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that Trump had made the request for Putin to stop targeting Kyiv until Feb. 1 “in order to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” The Associated Press reported. The outlet noted that it was odd that the Kremlin spokesperson mentioned Feb. 1, as it would mean it was only a two-day pause. Additionally, the AP reported that the cold weather forecast is set to get worse after Sunday.

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The White House announced on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters; Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Witkoff, Kushner and Gruenbaum met with Putin earlier this month in Moscow shortly after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff, Kushner, Gruenbaum and other U.S. representatives met with negotiators from Ukraine and Russia. The talks were said to be constructive, despite the fact that obstacles to peace remained.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “As a result of the meetings held over these days, all sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”

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Russia and Ukraine are set to hold another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, according to The Kyiv Independent. However, it is unclear whether the U.S. will participate in the talks.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Video: ‘We Are Orphans’: Shiite Muslims Protest the Killing of Khamenei

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Video: ‘We Are Orphans’: Shiite Muslims Protest the Killing of Khamenei

new video loaded: ‘We Are Orphans’: Shiite Muslims Protest the Killing of Khamenei

Shiite Muslims around the world protested the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and a senior Shiite Muslim cleric. He died on Saturday during U.S. and Israeli attacks on his country.

By Nader Ibrahim and Malachy Browne

March 1, 2026

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3 US service members killed, 5 seriously wounded in Iran operation

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3 US service members killed, 5 seriously wounded in Iran operation

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Three U.S. service members were killed and five others were seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday morning.

In addition, several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty, CENTCOM announced.

“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” CENTCOM said.

Smoke rises over the city center after an Israeli army launches 2nd wave of airstrikes on Iran on Saturday.  (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

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At least nine killed after Iranian strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh

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At least nine killed after Iranian strike on Israel’s Beit Shemesh

BREAKING,

The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service says that 20 others were injured by the impact.

At least nine people have been killed after an Iranian missile strike on the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, as Tehran continued to launch retaliatory attacks a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes.

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The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said on Sunday that nine people were killed and 20 other people were injured by the impact, including two in serious condition.

The Israeli military said in a statement that search and rescue teams, and a helicopter to evacuate those injured are currently operating in Beit Shemesh, with the army’s spokesperson adding that the circumstances of the impact from the Iranian ballistic missile are under review.

More to come …

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