US Sanctions Chief Joins Moscow Talks as Putin Cites War Goals

A US delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner included Gene Lange, acting head of the US Treasury’s sanctions unit, signaling that sanctions policy was part of diplomatic talks in Moscow. While Lange met with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev rather than Vladimir Putin directly, a White House official confirmed NSC, State Department, and Treasury officials joined the wider mission. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov stated that Putin expressed confidence in achieving Russia’s war goals and cited battlefield gains during the three-hour meeting.