The Day Witkoff and Kushner Entered the Kremlin

On January 22, Russian editorial priority transitioned from the geopolitical abstraction of Greenland toward concrete diplomatic engagement with the Trump administration. In the morning, state media focused on technical aspects of the U.S.-Danish Greenland deal, while simultaneously reporting 524 bodies found in Kursk mass graves, framing the Ukrainian government as a "neonazi regime." By afternoon, attention shifted to Donald Trump’s formalization of the "Peace Council" in Davos. Editors emphasized Vladimir Putin’s commitment to pledge $1 billion from frozen Russian assets to this council for Palestinian aid, effectively positioning Russia as a primary stakeholder in Trump’s new diplomatic order. The evening was dominated by the arrival of U.S. envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. State outlets highlighted Witkoff’s assertions that a Ukrainian settlement has reached its final stage, while independent media noted domestic pressures, including a school stabbing in Nizhnekamsk and Russia's lowest oil production in 16 years.