U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff concluded his recent discussions with Vladimir Putin of Russia on Friday, following President Donald Trump’s call for his Russian counterpart to expedite efforts to resolve what he described as the “senseless war” in Ukraine.
Witkoff’s meeting with Putin took place at the presidential library in St. Petersburg and reportedly lasted four and a half hours, according to state news agencies.
The Kremlin confirmed that the conversation took place and emphasized that it “focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement,” but did not provide further details.
Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov had previously stated that he did not anticipate any significant diplomatic breakthroughs from this round of talks, which marked Witkoff’s third engagement with Putin since February. He also responded with a “maybe” when asked whether the potential for a meeting between Trump and Putin would be addressed.
Following their previous meeting, Witkoff, a close ally of Trump who has collaborated with him in real estate, described Putin as a “great leader” and “not a bad guy.” This commendation from an envoy towards a leader typically viewed as an autocratic challenger by the U.S. underscores the notable shift in America’s stance towards the Kremlin since Trump’s second term began.
Earlier on Friday, the state-run TASS news agency reported that Witkoff met with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and economic envoy for Putin, at the Grand Europe Hotel in St. Petersburg. A video captured the two men departing the hotel and entering separate vehicles.
Witkoff had hosted Dmitriev in Washington the previous week, where the latter expressed “cautious optimism” regarding the revival of U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations.
This visit by Witkoff coincided with the release of Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian dual national, in a prisoner exchange that occurred in Abu Dhabi. Karelina was swapped for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen detained in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of U.S. authorities on charges of allegedly exporting sensitive U.S.-made microelectronics to Russia.
In February, Witkoff played a role in negotiations for the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia on drug-related charges, in exchange for Russian cryptocurrency figure Alexander Vinnik. The Trump administration hailed Fogel’s release as a significant diplomatic achievement.
Witkoff’s trip to St. Petersburg is also set against the backdrop of Trump’s increasing dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Both Ukraine and Russia have accused one another of breaching a ceasefire concerning strikes on energy infrastructure, further diminishing hopes for even a temporary pause in hostilities amid the ongoing conflict.
The breakdown of this agreement, facilitated by the U.S., could prompt Trump to consider “moving forward” with new sanctions against Russia, either unilaterally or through Congress, should a comprehensive ceasefire not be established by the end of April, according to an anonymous source cited by Axios.
On Thursday, Trump stated that “we’re getting relatively close” to achieving a ceasefire.
Reporting by AFP contributed to this coverage.
