Moscow, Russia— US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for three hours in Moscow on Friday, with discussions reportedly focusing on the possibility of restarting direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Putin, described the meeting as “constructive and very useful,” noting that the conversation helped narrow the gap between the Russian and US positions not only on Ukraine but also on a wider range of international matters.
Although the White House has yet to disclose details of the meeting, former US President Donald Trump later commented that efforts to facilitate a peace agreement were progressing “smoothly.” Witkoff’s visit marked his fourth trip to Russia since the beginning of the year, and his arrival was met with a heightened security presence in central Moscow.
Ushakov said the central topic was the feasibility of resuming direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
The comments follow recent signals from President Putin that he is open to negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — his first such remarks since early in the conflict.
The push for renewed dialogue appears to be linked to a proposal made by Zelensky earlier this week, advocating a 30-hour ceasefire over the Easter period, with hopes of extending it to 30 days. No ceasefire has yet been agreed upon.
Amid these developments, President Zelensky told the BBC that while Ukraine’s position on its territorial integrity remains unchanged, he is open to discussing contested regions if Russia agrees to a full and unconditional ceasefire.
“A full and unconditional ceasefire opens up the possibility of discussing everything,” he said.
However, Ukraine faces mounting pressure from Trump, who has indicated support for Russia maintaining control of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Crimea is Ukrainian territory and that only Ukrainians have the right to determine the fate of their land.
Despite this, Zelensky acknowledged during the BBC interview that Ukraine currently lacks the military capacity to retake Crimea, citing comments made by Trump to Time magazine, in which the former president said, “Crimea will stay with Russia.”
The US peace initiative has not been officially released, but reports suggest it includes provisions that would see Russia retain control of approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula and areas in Luhansk.
In contrast, European officials and Ukrainian negotiators reportedly insist that any discussion of occupied territories must occur after a ceasefire is implemented.
Reuters reported, having seen documents outlining the US plan, as well as counter-proposals from European and Ukrainian representatives, highlighting major discrepancies between the parties.
As the Moscow talks unfolded, Trump told reporters that progress was being made, mentioning both peace negotiations and ongoing trade discussions. “I think in the end we’re going to end up with a lot of good deals,” he said.
Later, posting on Truth Social, Trump criticized Ukraine for delays in finalising a rare earth minerals agreement with the United States, originally set to be signed in February. He claimed the deal was now three weeks overdue.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high on the ground. On Thursday, a missile strike on Kyiv killed 12 people, an attack President Zelensky blamed on Russian forces using missiles with components sourced from North Korea and Western suppliers, including US companies.
“Insufficient pressure on North Korea and its allies allows them to produce such ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said. “The missile that killed the Kyiv residents contained at least 116 parts imported from other countries.”
In response to the attack, Trump said he was applying “a lot of pressure” to both parties to halt hostilities and issued a direct appeal to Putin on social media: “Vladimir, STOP!”
Despite his push for peace, Trump has controversially stated in a Time interview that Ukraine’s talk of joining NATO was the catalyst for the conflict.
The situation on the battlefield also remains volatile. Just hours before the Moscow talks, a senior Russian general was killed in a car bomb explosion in the capital — an incident the Kremlin attributed to Ukrainian operatives. Kyiv has not commented on the accusation.
Separately, Russian authorities said two people were killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Belgorod region, although that claim has also not been confirmed by Ukraine.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and currently occupies nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
