Trump envoy Witkoff holds ‘constructive’ talks with Putin ahead of Ukraine war peace deadline
The US president has given Russia until Friday to halt its offensive in Ukraine or potentially face penalties
US envoy Steve Witkoff held “useful and constructive” talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, a Kremlin aide said, two days before the expiry of a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
Witkoff met Putin for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3½-year war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged “signals” on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Trump.
Before the meeting, Witkoff took an early morning stroll through Zaryadye Park, a stone’s throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation, footage aired by Tass showed.
Dmitriev played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials. The negotiations have made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
Trump’s deadline for Putin ends on Friday. Washington has threatened “severe tariffs” and other economic penalties if the killing doesn’t stop.