Washington DC [US], April 12 : White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday (local time) confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is currently in Russia to hold direct talks with the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the ongoing efforts towards a ceasefire deal for the Ukraine conflict.
During a press briefing, Leavitt stated that it was a step towards the negotiating process for the ceasefire as well as an "ultimate peace deal."
She added that US President Donald Trump has been "continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict," indicating the administration's intent to take a more active role in peace negotiations.
"I can confirm that Steve Witkoff is in Russia to have direct communications with the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin. This is another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire and an ultimate peace deal. The President has been quite clear that he has been continually frustrated with both sides of this conflict," the White House Press Secretary said.
Earlier in the day, Russian state television broadcast footage of Putin welcoming Witkoff at the presidential library in St Petersburg, as reported by Al Jazeera.
As per Al Jazeera, citing state media agencies, the talks lasted over four hours.
According to the Kremlin, the meeting addressed "various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement", but no further details were provided.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier indicated that the two might also consider the possibility of arranging an in-person meeting between Putin and Trump, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, earlier, President Trump had issued a stern warning to the Russian President to cooperate on ending the Ukraine war, as reported by CNN.
In a phone interview with NBC news, Trump stated he's "pissed off" with Putin's actions and may impose additional tariffs on Russian oil if Putin doesn't cooperate in ongoing negotiations to end his war in Ukraine.
"I was very angry - pissed off - when Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility, because that's not going in the right location, you understand?" Trump said in the interview.
"But new leadership means you're not going to have a deal for a long time, right?" Trump said.
Trump further warned that a failure to reach a deal could result in significant consequences, including secondary tariffs on Russian oil, as per CNN.
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