Putin meets US envoy Witkoff to discuss Ukraine, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met on April 11 to discuss a possible path toward a settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin published a video showing a handshake between Witkoff and Putin.
Witkoff, who has led Trump's effort to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, had previously arrived in Russia for his third meeting with the Russian leader.
Earlier on April 11, the U.S. official met with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for economic cooperation, in St. Petersburg.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered expectations of the upcoming talks, calling them a continuation of diplomatic efforts that is unlikely to bring a major breakthrough.
A possible meeting between Trump and Putin could be on the agenda, Peskov said.
The talks come as Trump's push for a ceasefire remains deadlocked. Russia has rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by Washington and Kyiv in March and continues to violate the partial energy ceasefire that followed.
Trump, who initially avoided criticizing Putin, has since adopted more aggressive language, saying he was "pissed off" and "very angry" over Moscow's continued attacks on Ukraine and Putin's personal hostility toward President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Despite repeated threats of additional sanctions and tariffs, the U.S. has yet to implement new punitive measures against Moscow.
The April 11 meeting follows a second round of diplomatic talks in Istanbul between U.S. and Russian officials focused on embassy operations. The war in Ukraine was reportedly not discussed.
