In a high-stakes diplomatic development, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday for more than four hours of discussions focused on ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting marked Witkoff’s third sit-down with Putin this year and was described as “productive” by Russian official Kirill Dmitriev.
The talks came as former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly pressured Putin to take action toward a ceasefire. Writing on social media, Trump said, “Russia has to get moving. Too many people are dying—thousands a week—in a terrible and senseless war.”
While hopes for a breakthrough remain slim, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that the “normalization process” is still ongoing and cautioned against expecting immediate results. When asked if a Trump-Putin meeting was discussed, Peskov said, “Let’s see. It depends on what Witkoff has come with.”
Witkoff also held a separate meeting with Dmitriev—the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund—at a conference in St. Petersburg. Dmitriev recently visited Washington, becoming the highest-ranking Russian official to do so since the war began in 2022.
The diplomatic outreach coincided with major developments in Europe, where defense ministers announced a €21 billion ($24 billion) military aid package for Ukraine. European leaders said there were no signs that the war was nearing its end.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of a deadly April 4 missile strike in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih, where 19 people, including nine children, were killed. He laid flowers at a memorial for the young victims and strongly condemned Russia’s ongoing aggression.
Zelensky also made a startling claim, alleging that hundreds of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russian forces. Ukraine recently said it had captured two Chinese fighters. “Russia is trying to prolong the war—even at the cost of Chinese lives,” he said.
The Ukrainian president reiterated his plea for advanced air defense systems, noting that he’s willing to purchase them and has discussed the issue directly with Trump. “Only powerful weapons can truly protect lives when you live next to a neighbor like Russia,” Zelensky wrote online.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the war would never have happened if he had been president in 2022 and insists he could end it within 24 hours. Recently, he expressed frustration over the slow pace of peace talks, saying he is “very angry” and “pissed off” with Putin.
In another significant development, the U.S. and Russia completed a rare prisoner exchange this week. Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American jailed for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity, was released in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian national accused of sending microelectronics to Russia’s military sector.
While the road to peace remains uncertain, these diplomatic engagements and shifting alliances suggest both behind-the-scenes negotiations and public pressure are intensifying.
