Ends meeting between Putin and Trump envoys first details

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, dedicated to resolving the conflict in Ukraine ended after more than four hours.

The Kremlin posted a photo on its web site, where the two officials looked at it holding hands, noting that the meeting had taken place.

Russian news agencies reported that the meeting lasted more than four hours.

Interfax reported that Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, who has increasingly committed himself to Russia, left the site of the meeting with the presidential library in St Petersburg, Russia's second largest city.

Tass reported that Putin's envoy for investment, Kiril Dmitriev, had returned to a hotel in the city, followed. Periscope.

The American envoy Witkoff stopped in Russia on April 11th while on his way to Oman, where talks will be held with Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme on 12 April.

News of the Witkoff-Putin meeting was made public at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that it has been a month since Russia has rejected the American proposal for a <x0-euro-complete and unconditional”.

Hours after Witkoff arrived in Russia, Trump also wrote on social networks that Russia should act at stopping the war in Ukraine, saying that <x0.0 people are dying of”.

Otherwise, Witkoff's visit took place amid a diplomatic storm over the war in Ukraine, including US-Ukrainian talks in Washington and a meeting led by Britain and Germany in Brussels.

Russian state agency Tass reported that Witkoff, when arriving in Russia, met with Kiril Dmitriev, a figure with strong links to the Kremlin and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

It is reported that last week, the two officials met in Washington, where they discussed strengthening bilateral relations.

Witkoff's visit to Russia took place a day after US and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss normalising diplomatic relations, which could lead to the return of embassy staff who have been expelled since Ukraine's 2022 Russian holiday began.

It was Witkoff's third visit to Russia since Trump took office in January.

Last month, his meeting with Putin paved the way for a call between the two presidents. He also visited Russia in February and was part of US-Russia talks in Riyadh. /REL