U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday, as President Donald Trump publicly pressured Moscow to accelerate efforts toward an Ukraine ceasefire. The Kremlin described the discussions lasting over four hours as focused on resolving the Ukraine conflict, though it downplayed expectations of an immediate breakthrough.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war swiftly, voiced frustration in a social media post: “Russia has to get moving. Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war.” He later added, “A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!”
The meeting comes as European nations pledged €21 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, with defense ministers acknowledging no signs of the war ending soon. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately prolonging the conflict, alleging that hundreds of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russian forces. “Russia is clearly trying to extend the war even by using Chinese lives,” Zelensky said during a visit to Kryvyi Rih, where a recent Russian missile strike killed 19, including nine children.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned against expecting major developments from the Witkoff-Putin talks but left open the possibility of future discussions, including a potential Trump-Putin summit. The U.S. and Russia recently conducted a prisoner swap, freeing a Russian-American woman jailed for donating to Ukraine in exchange for a dual German-Russian citizen accused of smuggling electronics for Moscow’s military.
Trump’s relationship with Zelensky remains tense, following a heated Oval Office meeting earlier this year. While Washington has pushed for limited ceasefires, negotiations have stalled over Russia’s demand for sanctions relief. Trump has since expressed anger at Putin over the stalled peace efforts.
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