US envoy Witkoff meets Putin ahead of Trump’s deadline on Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, the Kremlin said.

It comes days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil.

The meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Witkoff lasted about three hours.

Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Russian president and Mr Witkoff had a “useful and constructive conversation” that focused on the Ukrainian crisis and, in a nod towards improving relations between Washington and Moscow, “prospects for possible development of strategic co-operation between the US and Russia”.

Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social media network that Mr Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Mr Putin in which “great progress was made”.

Mr Trump said he updated America’s allies in Europe about the meeting and that they will work towards an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday evening that he and Mr Trump spoke on the phone after Mr Witkoff met Mr Putin. He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow”.

“Our common position with our partners is absolutely clear: The war must end,” Mr Zelensky said. “We all need lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it started.”

Mr Zelensky later said: “It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire,” adding that the pressure on Moscow “is working”, without elaborating.

He stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not “deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement.

Kyiv proposes that Ukraine and its allies soon “talk to determine our position, our common position, and our common view”.

Earlier, Mr Witkoff took an early morning walk through Zaryadye Park, a stone’s throw from the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic co-operation, footage aired by TASS showed.

Mr Dmitriev said later on social platform X that “dialogue will prevail”.

The envoy played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials.

The negotiations made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Mr Putin ends on Friday.

Washington has threatened “severe tariffs” and other economic penalties if the killing does not stop.

Mr Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Mr Putin over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war.

The intensified attacks have occurred even as Mr Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent.

Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian forces hit a recreational centre in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Wednesday.

Russian forces launched at least four strikes on the area and initially attacked with powerful glide bombs.

“There is zero military sense in this strike. Only cruelty to intimidate,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

Russia also struck the Ukrainian power grid and heating gas facilities, Mr Zelensky said, as Ukraine makes preparations for winter.

Western analysts and Ukrainian officials say Mr Putin is stalling for time and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian forces push to capture more Ukraine land.

A Russian offensive that started in the spring and is expected to continue through the autumn is advancing faster than last year’s push but is making only slow and costly gains and has been unable to take any major cities.

The situation on the front line is critical for Ukrainian forces but defences are not about to collapse, analysts say.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump said “we’ll see what happens” regarding his threat to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India.

“We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow,” the US president said.

“We’re going to see what happens. We’ll make that determination at that time.”

Mr Trump said that he has not publicly committed to a specific tariff rate.

Stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin risks stoking international tensions amid worsening Russia-US relations.

The Washington-based Centre for European Policy Analysis warned in an assessment this week that there are “clear signs that the Kremlin is preparing for a broader confrontation with Nato”, including a military build-up along Russia’s western flank with alliance countries in recent years.

Mr Putin has strengthened Russia’s military ties with China, North Korea and Iran.

Nato, meanwhile, said on Tuesday it has started co-ordinating regular deliveries of large Western weapons packages to Ukraine.

European allies and Canada are buying most of the equipment they plan to transport from the United States.

The Trump administration is not donating any arms to Ukraine.

Mr Putin has given no hint that he might be ready to make concessions.

Instead, the Russian leader and senior Kremlin officials have talked up the country’s military strength.

Mr Putin announced last week that Russia’s new hypersonic missile, which he says cannot be intercepted by current Nato air defence systems, has entered service.

Russia announced on Tuesday that it no longer regards itself as bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable intermediate range missiles, a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, meantime, warned that the Ukraine war could bring Russia and the US into armed conflict.

Mr Trump responded to that by ordering the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday welcomed Mr Witkoff’s visit.

“We consider (talks with Mr Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful,” he said.

Mr Trump initially gave Moscow a 50-day deadline, but later moved up his ultimatum as the Kremlin continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.

However, Mr Trump himself doubted their effectiveness, saying on Sunday that Russia has proven to be “pretty good at avoiding sanctions”.

“They’re wily characters,” he said of the Russians.

The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbour have had a limited impact.

Ukraine maintains the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow’s war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up.