I t was 1986: Greed was good and the hours were punishing. Still, even round-the-clock dealmakers had to eat. That is how Donald Trump happened upon Steve Witkoff at a deli counter in midtown Manhattan at 3am. One was a son of Queens, the other of the Bronx. Both were hungry. Mr Witkoff paid.

Steve Witkoff described a three-and-a-half-hour meeting he held with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, part of what he called a "trust-building" assignment.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday they expected that an agreement would be signed this week on U.S. access to Ukraine's critical mineral deposits.