MOSCOW, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russia's stock market extended gains during the main trading session of the Moscow Exchange on Wednesday following remarks on the Ukraine issue by U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, TASS reported.
As of 13:00 Moscow time (1000 GMT), the MOEX Russia Index and the RTS Index were both up 0.37 percent, reaching 2,748.09 points and 1,112.38 points, respectively. By 13:23 Moscow time (1023 GMT), the MOEX Index had climbed 1.04 percent to 2,766.53 points, while the RTS Index also rose 1.04 percent to 1,119.84 points.
In an interview with CNBC, Witkoff said he hoped to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. He also noted that significant progress had been made in talks with Russia on the Ukraine issue.
Russia's presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev held talks with Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday. After the meeting, Witkoff described the talks that lasted over two hours as "very positive." ■