The Kremlin has described a high-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US presidential envoy Steven Witkoff as "useful and constructive", as diplomatic efforts intensify ahead of a looming US-imposed deadline for a Ukraine ceasefire deal.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow on Wednesday, senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that President Putin met with Witkoff earlier in the day for approximately three hours.
The talks, held behind closed doors, focused primarily on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the potential for renewed strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
“US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff was received by our president this morning. A very useful and constructive conversation took place,” Ushakov said, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.
Specific messages delivered
Ushakov noted that the Russian side delivered specific messages related to the conflict in Ukraine and received “corresponding signals” on behalf of President Donald Trump.
“Putin is now fully informed on the current situation,” Ushakov said, adding that Trump had not yet been briefed on the outcome of the meeting. “Therefore, I would refrain from more detailed comments at this time,” he added.
Witkoff’s visit to Moscow is his fifth this year and his first since his last meeting with Putin on April 25.
Trump’s deadline for Russia nears
This latest trip comes just two days before the expiration of a 10-day deadline set by Trump for Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Trump had originally given Moscow a 50-day window in June, threatening to impose import tariffs of up to 100 percent on Russia and its trading partners if no peace deal was reached.
However, on July 29, he sharply reduced the deadline to 10 days, citing his “disappointment” with President Putin’s lack of progress on the matter.
