Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday to push for a Ukraine peace deal. This high-stakes meeting happened just hours after a top Russian general died in a car explosion outside his home near Moscow.
Trump, speaking Thursday, said Witkoff’s fourth trip to Russia might finally bring the war to an end within a few days. Putin hosted Witkoff in the Kremlin, where both men shook hands, exchanged greetings, and sat at a long oval table.
Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, described the closed-door talks as constructive and said both sides had narrowed differences on key points. The Kremlin later said the two sides discussed possibly restarting direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Witkoff left Moscow with a message from Putin directly intended for Trump. Although Witkoff holds no official diplomatic title, Trump continues to treat his efforts as central peace to the plan.
Despite strong words, Trump’s peace talks with Putin showed no clear resolution, especially with major gaps remaining in proposals from all parties. Putin’s government, which demands to retain captured Ukrainian territory, still refuses to support an immediate or unconditional ceasefire.
Trump acknowledged the difficulties, calling the talk very fragile and backing off earlier claims about ending the war in 24 hours. Trump also suggested Crimea would remain with Russia, pushing Ukraine toward a painful territorial compromise.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly rejected the idea and reaffirmed that all occupied land rightfully belongs to the Ukrainian people. Meanwhile, Russia blames Ukraine for the killing of Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik. US officials fear that Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil may jeopardize diplomacy.
