The American and the Russian president met again as part of US efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Kremlin said they discussed “direct negotiations.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Friday in Moscow with Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, according to Russian state media citing the Kremlin’s spokesperson. The Kremlin said they discussed the possibility of “direct negotiations” between the U.S. and Russia.
This marks Witkoff’s fourth visit to Russia since the Republican magnate returned to the White House in January, and it comes as the U.S. president increases pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Witkoff previously met with Putin on April 11 in St. Petersburg, their third meeting in three months.
Following that encounter, he gave an interview in which he stated that territorial issues are key to resolving the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by asserting that Kyiv will never recognize Russian occupation of its territory.
On Wednesday, ministerial-level negotiations involving the United States, Ukraine, and two European allies—France and the United Kingdom—were abruptly canceled after reports leaked suggesting Washington might recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Zelensky addressed the issue again on Thursday while visiting Pretoria. “We are doing everything our partners proposed, except what contradicts our laws and Constitution regarding national territorial integrity, including Crimea,” he reiterated. He also called for “greater pressure on Russia.”
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