Russia: Putin-Witkoff meeting brought sides ‘closer’ on Ukraine

The fourth meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff brought the sides “closer” on Ukraine as well as on other geopolitical issues, according to the Kremlin. 

Witkoff, who has become a force on Trump’s foreign policy roster, met with Russia’s president in Moscow, alongside Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov and Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev. 

The meeting, which lasted roughly three hours, was “constructive.” The Kremlin said Witkoff and Putin touched on Russia possibly resuming direct talks with Ukraine, something that has been absent since the early days of the Kremlin’s 2022 invasion of Kyiv. 

“This conversation allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer together, not only on Ukraine but also on a number of other international issues,” Ushakov told reporters after the meeting.

“As for the Ukrainian crisis itself, the discussion focused in particular on the possibility of resuming direct negotiations,” Putin’s adviser added. 

The meeting comes as Trump urged Putin stop military strikes targeting Ukraine and to shift his efforts to forge a lasting peace deal that would end the Eastern European war now in its fourth year.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social after a Russian drone strike killed at least 12 people in Kyiv. 

Trump has turned up the pressure on both Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict since taking office. He and other top U.S. officials, including Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have warned that if substantial progress is not made, Washington might step away from its role as the key facilitator in the negotiations. 

In an interview with Time magazine, published Friday, Trump blamed Ukraine for igniting the war with Russia by talking about joining the NATO military alliance. He also said Crimea will be under Russia’s control once the peace deal is hammered out. 

When asked by the magazine about his campaign claim that he would end the ongoing war in one day, Trump contended that he said it “figuratively, and I said that as an exaggeration, because to make a point, and you know, it gets, of course, by the fake news.” 

Ukraine and European officials met Wednesday in London, where they discussed ending the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” that a peace deal with Ukraine is “moving in the right direction,” but some details still need to be hammered out. 

“The statement by the president mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points — elements — of this deal which need to be fine-tuned,” Lavrov said. “And we are busy with this exact process.”

After the meeting in Moscow, Witkoff is on his way to Oman, where he will be present for the first round of technical talks with Iran over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program.