US envoy Witkoff to hold talks with Russia, Ukraine this week | World News
2 min readWashingtonFeb 2, 2026 08:39 PM US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Abu Dhabi for talks with Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday and Thursday, a White House official said on Monday.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has continued for over four years now with multiple casualties and losses on both side. The infrastructure losses have also been recorded majorly in Ukraine, but also in Russia.
Britain expels Russian diplomat
Britain said on Monday it had expelled a Russian diplomat after summoning the country’s ambassador in what it said was a reciprocal move after Moscow last month expelled a British diplomat, accusing them of being an undeclared spy.
Russia’s accusations were “baseless” and the expulsion was “unprovoked and unjustified”, a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office (FCDO) said in a statement on Monday.
“Summoning the Russian Ambassador, a senior FCDO official made it clear that the UK will not stand for intimidation of British Embassy staff and so we are taking reciprocal action today, revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat,” the spokesperson said.
Amid the war in Ukraine, Russia and the West have repeatedly accused each other of unfurling espionage campaigns of an intensity not seen since the depths of the Cold War, while western diplomats in Moscow say they are subject to intrusive surveillance and harassment.
Britain warned Russia against pursuing this course against its diplomats.Story continues below this ad
“Any further action taken Russia will be considered an escalation and responded to accordingly,” the spokesperson added.
The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
With inputs from Reuters
