Trump's special envoy announces new round of talks in Jeddah

Steve Witkoff, special representative of the U.S. for Middle East affairs, revealed in a Fox News interview that negotiations to conclude the war in Ukraine are set for March 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Assessing the progress, Witkoff said only a "relatively short distance" remains to achieve a full ceasefire.

"The devil is in the details. We have a team heading to Saudi Arabia, led by our national security adviser [Mike Waltz] and our Secretary of State [Marco Rubio]. I think we need to iron out those details," he stated.

The announcement follows a March 18 phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, lasting over 90 minutes.

Putin agreed to a 30-day pause on strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and reportedly issued orders to his military accordingly. He also confirmed a prisoner exchange slated for March 19, involving 175 captives from each side, with Russia additionally handing over 23 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers as a "goodwill gesture."

Trump noted they agreed to "work quickly" toward a complete ceasefire and an end to the "horrible war" between Russia and Ukraine.