ST. PETERSBURG, April 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's conversation with US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff is taking place in closed mode despite the published footage of the greeting, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
At the request of VGTRK reporter Pavel Zarubin, he commented on the fact that for the first time the Kremlin distributed footage of communication between Putin and Witkoff: the first seconds of the meeting were shown on video.
"The meetings, in fact, were no secret. This is Witkoff's third visit to our country. Twice he came to Moscow, today to St. Petersburg. It is normal to show the first handshake. After all, this is not the first time they have met. But the negotiations themselves are a closed process," Peskov pointed out.
He added that after the greeting in the presence of the media, Putin and Witkoff immediately proceeded to the talks.
The footage released by the Kremlin shows Witkoff warmly greeting Putin from a distance, putting his palm to his heart. When the Russian president approached, they exchanged a long handshake that lasted more than ten seconds and immediately exchanged several lines without interpreters.