US envoy Steve Witkoff concluded his latest round of talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday, following President Donald Trump’s call for Russia to expedite efforts to end what he described as the “senseless war” with Ukraine.
Trump has been pushing Moscow and Kyiv towards agreeing on a ceasefire but has yet to secure any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated diplomatic engagements between Russian and US officials.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump urged: “Russia has to get moving,” adding that the conflict, which began over three years ago when Russian forces invaded Ukraine, was “senseless” and “should have never happened.”
While Washington continues to advocate for a ceasefire, Kyiv and many of its Western allies suspect that Russia is intentionally stalling negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of drawing Beijing into the conflict, claiming on Friday that hundreds of Chinese nationals were fighting alongside Russian forces on the front lines.
Trump’s remarks came just before Witkoff’s meeting with Putin in Saint Petersburg, which lasted four and a half hours, according to Russian state news agencies. The Kremlin later stated that the talks had “focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement” but provided no further details.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier tempered expectations, stating there would be no diplomatic “breakthroughs” from the discussions. This marked Witkoff’s third meeting with Putin since February, with reports suggesting that a potential meeting between Trump and Putin might have been discussed during the talks.
After their previous meeting, Witkoff, a long-time ally of Trump, had described Putin as a “great leader” and “not a bad guy,” signalling a shift in Washington’s approach to the Kremlin under Trump’s second term.
Ukraine recently claimed to have captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russian forces in the Donetsk region. While the Kremlin denied the accusation, Beijing urged all parties to avoid making “irresponsible remarks.”
Zelensky, addressing military chiefs from allied countries in Brussels, said: “As of now, we have information that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia’s occupation forces. This means Russia is clearly trying to prolong the war – even by using Chinese lives.”
He also condemned Russia’s refusal to accept a full ceasefire proposed by the US and approved by Ukraine a month ago. While the Kremlin has expressed interest in a truce in the Black Sea, it has set conditions, including the lifting of Western sanctions.
Trump has long advocated for improved relations with Russia, and his efforts have yielded some results. On Thursday, Russia released dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, a ballet dancer, in exchange for suspected tech smuggler Arthur Petrov, marking the second prisoner swap between the two countries in under two months.
Karelina had been arrested in January while visiting family in Russia and was sentenced to 12 years for “treason” after donating approximately $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that these exchanges helped rebuild trust between the two nations, which had deteriorated during Joe Biden’s presidency.
While diplomatic channels have been active, meaningful progress on Trump’s main objective – achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine – remains elusive. Recent talks in Saudi Arabia led to a temporary agreement to halt aerial strikes on energy targets, but no formal agreement was reached, and both sides have accused each other of continuing such attacks.
