Trump asks Russia to ‘move’ in negotiations on Ukraine

On the other hand, Donald Trump also threatened Russia with new sanctions if the country did not agree with peace. In late March, the US president said he was “very angry” and “furious” with his Russian homologist for questioning the lead in Ukraine.

Kiev and some western capitals accuse Russia, whose army is larger and more equipped, deliberately prolonging negotiations.

“Putin will hear him. The conversation will continue on various aspects of the agreement with Ukraine. There are many aspects, the topic is very complex,” said Russian presidency spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

According to Peskov, however, Kremlin did not expect any diplomatic “advancement” during this meeting: “a process of normalization of relationships and the search for bases to move toward a solution (conflict in Ukraine) are underway,” he explained. “Hard work continues. Naturally, Witkoff (…) will bring something from its president to Putin,” he added.

Earlier, in St. Petersburg, Witkoff met Kremlin’s economic negotiator Kirill Dmitiev, who was in Washington in early April. It was the first visit of a high Russian authority to the United States since Russia began its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.

Steve Witkoff’s visit takes place on the wake of a new prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia and a series of discussions about the functioning of their diplomatic missions.