US and Russia wrapped up the latest talks on ways to end the Ukraine war following a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg late on Friday.
The meeting at the presidential library in Saint Petersburg lasted four-and-a-half hours, state news agencies reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said earlier that he expected no diplomatic breakthroughs from the talks. This was Mr Witkoff's third meeting with Mr Putin since February.
A discussion around a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Mr Putin might occur, Mr Peskov said.
The Kremlin said the meeting was “focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement”, without adding any further details.
Mr Witkoff has previously said that Mr Putin is a “great leader” and “not a bad guy”.
Following the meeting in Moscow, Mr Trump urged his Russian counterpart to move quicker to end what he said was the country's “senseless war” with Ukraine.
Mr Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire deal but has failed to win any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated negotiations between Russian and US officials.
The American leader told NBC News last month he was annoyed with his Russian counterpart, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington would not tolerate “endless negotiations” with Russia over the conflict.
“Russia has to get moving,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the conflict, which began in February 2022 when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, was “senseless” and “should have never happened”.
Kyiv and several of its western allies suspect Russia of stalling the talks on purpose.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of dragging Beijing into the conflict and on Friday claimed that hundreds of Chinese nationals were fighting at Ukraine front line alongside Russian troops.
