Trump Envoy Witkoff Heads to Moscow for Ceasefire Talks with Putin

US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, has traveled to Russia and is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

This will be the third meeting between Witkoff and the Russian leader as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Talks gaining urgency?

The trip follows Trump’s growing frustration with the lack of progress in talks. According to a report form Axios, the American president was “pissed off” about recent remarks Putin made regarding Ukraine and has considered imposing additional sanctions if no ceasefire is reached by the end of the month.

“If Russia isn’t serious about peace, we’ll know soon enough—weeks, not months,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week at the NATO summit in Brussels. “I hope they are.”

Previous talks and new demands

The latest round of negotiations began after Ukraine agreed to Trump’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. The country later accepted a plan for a limited maritime ceasefire. However, Russia has responded with new demands, including the lifting of certain U.S. sanctions, further complicating the path to peace.

Witkoff had earlier hosted Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington in a bid to break the stalemate. Trump expressed optimism this week, saying, “We are making progress. We hope that we are getting relatively close to getting a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting,” during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Prisoner swap signals movement

Also on Thursday, the U.S. and Russia completed a prisoner exchange deal that included the release of dual U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina. Trump noted the development was linked to Witkoff’s earlier meeting with Putin in March. He thanked Putin for the move and revealed that UFC CEO Dana White had asked him to help secure Karelina’s release, as she is reportedly dating a UFC fighter.

Normalization talks continue

U.S. and Russian diplomats also met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss broader normalization of relations, signaling that dialogue remains open despite tensions.

Witkoff’s meeting with Putin comes at a critical time for both the war in Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations. Whether the visit will produce a breakthrough remains to be seen.