Putin to meet US envoy Witkoff to discuss Ukraine, Kremlin confirms
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on April 11 to discuss a path toward a settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s spokesperson said, according to the state-owned news agency TASS.
Witkoff, who has led Trump’s effort to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, has arrived in Russia for his third meeting with the Russian leader.
During his visit, the U.S. official has already met with Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for economic cooperation, who met Witkoff last week in Washington. The two held a meeting in St. Petersburg, where Putin is scheduled to attend a meeting on the development of the Russian Navy.
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.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York