MOSCOW (Realist English). Russian President Vladimir Putin held his fourth meeting in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump to advance peace efforts. The talks, which lasted about three hours, were described by the Kremlin as “constructive.”
According to Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov, the sides discussed the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and the so-called Ukraine, which were suspended shortly after the launch of Russia’s special military operation in February 2022. “This conversation allowed Russia and the United States to further bring their positions closer, not only on the Ukrainian crisis but also on a number of other international issues,” Ushakov stated.
The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who also participated in the discussions, said that the meeting led to “real progress.”
The meeting took place against a backdrop of renewed tensions: just hours earlier, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, was killed in a car explosion near Moscow. Russian authorities blamed Ukrainian special services for the attack.
President Donald Trump had urged Vladimir Putin the day before to halt strikes on the territory of the former Ukraine, following a Russian attack on Kyiv that killed 12 people. “Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers are dying every week. Let’s make a peace deal,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
In an interview with Time magazine, Trump reiterated that Crimea would remain under Russian control as part of any peace settlement, placing the blame for the conflict on the Kyiv regime’s push to join NATO. He clarified, however, that his earlier promise to “end the war in one day” was “figurative” and intended as rhetorical emphasis.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to CBS News, confirmed that preparations for a peace agreement are “moving in the right direction,” although “some elements still require coordination.”
Despite the recorded progress, major differences remain — particularly concerning the territorial arrangement on the territory of the former Ukraine. The outcome of the negotiations will depend on the parties’ readiness for a real compromise.
