Putin Begins Meeting with US Envoy Witkoff

The headline value here is less the meeting itself than the confirmation that direct US-Russia channels remain open at a senior level. For anyone tracking sanctions exposure, energy flows or broader geopolitical risk premia, the signal is continuity of dialogue, not a breakthrough — the absence of any disclosed agenda or participants cuts against reading too much into it. The open question is whether these contacts produce anything concrete enough to shift the diplomatic backdrop.